Behind Closed Doors
by Elemental-Zer0
Summary: D.GM & FMA X-OVER. Children have been disappearing all over the world for the past few months. But when two diff CO's from diff areas are put on the case, their worst nightmare become realities they’d rather not live; esp when two of their boys disappear
1. Preview

**Preview**

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**_'Elemental-Zer0 Productions'_**

**_Presents…_**

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The car pulled up quietly outside the rundown shack that was apparently a house. The sound of several car doors slamming shut rung loudly throughout the godforsaken district. Roy stepped forward; Edward followed closely but suddenly paused. The rain continued to drench them.

"Ed…?" The frown on the boy's brow made him stop. Edward was sensing danger. His eyes narrowed, his gaze sharp and his stance unconsciously defensive. He could feel something sinister in the air…

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**_A Mimi-Corp "Film" (Story)_**

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A soft thud sounded from inside the house. Sensing trouble Riza quickly flattened herself against the wet, wooden wall. With a practiced click, she switched the safety catch off and brought her gun up in a textbook perfect stance, levelling the butt of her gun with her eye. Her eyes narrowed to keep the rain from hindering her view. She hoped that all three of them would see each other alive after this.

But she'd been in the business long enough to know that Fate played a cruel game...

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_**In Association with the Fan Fiction. Net-work**_

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Edward dropped down into a hidden tunnel with a muddy splash, his senses on high alert. It was dark.

His eyes began to adjust slowly to the lack of light; there was a tunnel before him. He followed it carefully, wary of what he might find.

"Mmph…" He froze. Body tensed for action, ears ever attentive to the sounds coming from ahead. Someone or something was down here with him.

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**_Children, kids and teens, have been disappearing all over Central City. With no clues or trails to follow…_**

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The television jumped to life and a news reporter began to blare her report to the people listening;

"– ss of 32 have disappeared without a trace. This is the seventh case that has attacked Central City and The Fuehrer has decided to turn this investigation over to the Military Officials in hopes of moving forward and finding the kidnapper and the children as soon as possible.

"Sources say that Col. Roy Mustang and his subordinates have been put on the case. These sources also say that among Col. Mustang's subordinates is the City's favoured State Alchemist; Maj. Edward Elric the Full Metal Alchemist. Parents can be assured that their children's case is in good hands."

"Another kidnapping?" Alphonse stared at the screen with growing trepidation, his brother was on the case but he was also technically still a child despite his rank and maturity… Al's eyes narrowed with worry.

"Nii-san…"

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_**And deep under Central City, another world lives; a world where freedom is a word seldom used...**_

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"Riza, I thought you said Edward was down here?"

"He was! I saw him! He radioed in saying he'd found some kids tied up! I told him to wait down here with them until it was safe to bring them up." Riza's wide eyes were looking almost frantically around the small cavern underneath the house. It was empty.

"Well he's not here now and there are no kids." Panic flared up inside the dark haired Colonel. Edward was missing…

"I can see that sir…" Agitation wavered her voice, as she continued to look for a sign that Edward had been in the cavern.

"Colonel!" A cry from somewhere behind them, "I've found something come see!" A Private in training; blonde hair, green-grey eyes. He was leant over something on the ground.

"Is that?" The flashlight lit up the lone red ribbon, golden strands of stray hair glittering with a faint crimson glow under the artificial light of the Private's torch.

Blood.

"Yeah… It's Ed's."

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_**The pressure is building. The clues; misleading. And time has betrayed his every effort…**_

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"Sir! Another letter!"

Roy's head shot up. Shaky hands snatched the paper from his best friend's hands. Glistening eyes fearfully read the scrawled message…

_Colonel Bastard,_

_I don't know if my letters are reaching you. The enemy is moving us again. I don't know where, my sources couldn't find out. _

_I'm scared. _

_I can't see a way out of this that doesn't end in death for us._

_Please… Find us…_

_Find me._

_Edward_

"Oh Ed… I'm trying…"

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**_Time is running out… and still the clues lead nowhere…_**

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"Find Military Warehouse B! We'll storm it with full force…Round up three SWAT Units, I want this done properly; there'll be innocents inside… Hughes! Lead Team A. Hawkeye, Team B. I'll Lead Team C. Any questions…"

"Um Sir, which warehouse? There are currently 218 Military Warehouses marked as 'B'…"

"What?!"

_Slam_!

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**_Can Col. Roy Mustang find his wayward subordinate before time runs out?_**

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The darkness was suffocating. The pain immense. How long had he been down here anyway?

"Don't give up hope Ed, you told us that remember?" Farah, the youngest of the group he'd failed to rescue. His dark amber eyes found her shadowed silhouette… his voice no louder than a hoarse whisper;

"My hope is gone… There is nothing left to hope for…" His eyes fell shut. His energy depleting. He was just too tired.

…

"No! Nii-san!"

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Elemental-Zer0 gives to you;

**Behind Closed Doors…**

(Coming soon to a Fan Fiction website near you!)

Disclaimer: This is a Fan-fiction story of the Anime Series; FullMetal Alchemist, and is in no way affiliated with the actual series. All Characters and other material related to the T.V Show/Manga Comic that is used are not intended to infringe on any Copyrights. Elemental-Zer0 (Aka Mimi) takes sole responsibility for any mistakes or offense that may be taken but truly not meant.

However, this story plot and all Characters not affiliated with FullMetal Alchemist are Copyright © 2007 to Elemental-Zer0 (Aka Mimi).


	2. Ch1    Of Iminant Crossings

**Behind Closed Doors**

**Summary:** Children have been disappearing all of Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)

**Warnings:** Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… oh and slight possibility of Male x Male implications

**Authors Note:** Ok I wasn't really expecting any reviews at all for the Preview but hey ho! Thanks you guys for reviewing!! As you probably guessed that _was_ just a Preview and not the actual story, the story begins with this chapter. I hope you aren't too disappointed! Any ways this is my first FMA FF so be nice. The idea was inspired by one episode where Roy tried to convince Ed he was helping him… cookies if you can guess which episode that was.

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**Ch1; Of Imminent Crossings…**

The hiss of static sparking inside a television set was annoying at the best of times. The frustration of not being able to watch the program you wanted would spark off a sour mood when boredom was already a major problem. But to be behind said television with wires looped around several limbs and fingers, with no clue which hole to plug a dangerous looking socket into with said hissing blaring into one ear… Well let's just say Alphonse Elric was not happy at all.

"Have you got it working yet?" His new found wife and mother to his handsome nine month old son, called from the kitchen where she was currently feeding said son. He growled his frustration.

"Not yet!" He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to calm his frustration down before he blew a fuse too. A gradual calmness – a tact he'd developed at a young age - finally swept through his veins.

Yes his veins… now that he remembered his life with his brother after the 'accident' he found out just how grateful he really was to have his old body back. To be able to see with colours and light instead of just bleak greys and blacks; to be able smell the odours around him rather than leaving his brother to breathe in fatal fumes alone; and to be able to taste and eat rather than just feeling hollow and empty they were all a blessing to him. But the one sense he revelled in having back was to touch. Oh how he'd missed being able to feel, to touch something. How he'd longed to feel his brother's warmth radiating into him as he slept on the train while using him as a cushion. A smile tugged at his lips…

After the miracle of finally finding each other and jumping into the Gate to find the 'Other World' the two brothers had set their lives to helping those who were trapped in the despairs of war. But the wars had settled down on their own within weeks after Germany's ashamed defeat yet again and even though that meant their goals had no more value, the two were more than happy; for now they could spend their lives trying to find a way home, to Amestris. It had taken them almost half a year to find a lead and even after that it had taken another three months before Edward had finally remembered the incident before he went back the first time.

Their blood was the key. No matter what world they found themselves in, they couldn't change the fact that Alchemy was part of them. It was in their souls, their brains…and their blood. That was when he also hit himself in the head for not thinking of this earlier; why didn't he use alchemy to fix the damn T.V?!

Several complicated equations and transmutation theorems later and Alphonse had done it. Well, he'd know for sure if he turned it on again. He hit the power button and the television jumped to life. Winry walked in just as his cry of success was cut short; the news reporter who had jumped on to the screen began to blare her report to the people listening;

"– ss of 32 have disappeared without a trace. This is the seventh case that has attacked Central City and The Fuehrer(Sp?) has decided to turn this investigation over to the Military Officials in hopes of moving forward and finding the kidnapper and the children as soon as possible."

"Sources say that Col. Roy Mustang and his subordinates have been put on the case. These sources also say that among Col. Mustang's subordinates is the City's favoured State Alchemist; Maj. Edward Elric the Full Metal Alchemist. Parents can be assured that their children's case is in good hands."

"Another kidnapping?" Alphonse stared at the screen with growing trepidation, his brother was on the case but at the age of 17 _(see end of chapter)_ he was also technically still a child despite his rank and maturity… Al's eyes narrowed with worry.

"Nii-san…"

Winry gave a worried look. The kids were still disappearing in Central City and no one knew where they were taken or who was taking them. She hugged her bundle of joy into her chest and moved closer to Alphonse, feeling the need to be near him. He must've felt her feelings for seconds later he pulled her close, hugging her as though it was his last…

"Al, you should call him. Talk to him." Alphonse sighed and shook his head.

"No he'll be alright. Besides we're only here for one more night, it'd be pointless running up your grandmother's phone bill when we'll see him tomorrow. He's been in tighter situations." He explained, finding again his unwavering faith in his older brother. Winry sighed, she wasn't so convinced.

"He always had you with him though." She tried, feeling an ominous shadow settling over her. She shivered.

"Not all the time…" It was true; she knew it was but still…

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Roy Mustang was never one to hang around in a run down, filth ridden and dirty place such as 'Gary's Bar' but then he didn't really have control of the situation either. If the clues lead him here, then here he would follow until all the clues to the current mystery he was working on made sense. Besides, there were missing kids out there waiting for him to puzzle out the mystery and save them from their nightmare and his evidence lead right to this bar. 

"Hey boss, this guy is really pissing me off… can I squish him?" Ok so maybe the little brats weren't worth saving after all… his eyebrow twitched.

"Derry just answer the man's questions, he'll be gone after that." The 'boss' replied lazily, sipping from his grubby beer mug. Derry scowled but soon stopped when his phone began to vibrate softly on the table top. Roy gave a silent acknowledgement before stepping away politely. The guy answered the phone with a brusque; "Hello?"

Roy pretended to ignore the conversation, but old habits die hard. These guys were untrustworthy after all. "Another one? Do we have the space?" At this Riza also began listening in but she kept her face schooled and her eyes focussed on the room, watching for anything suspicious.

"Unusual colouring huh? And he's just sat there? Outside?" Roy's brows knit together; this conversation was… worrying him. "Ok sweetie if you can catch him, I'll let you keep him, but you're looking after him deal?" The guy put the phone down then, after saying goodbye, and glanced up at him smiling casually.

"Daughters, you can never say no to them when they latch on to a stray animal." That didn't particularly ease his nerves for Roy could tell when a man was lying, and this guy just lied to him unnecessarily.

"I wouldn't know, I don't have one." He replied tersely but politely. The guy sighed then, a gesture of surrendering, but Roy wasn't too sure he could trust it.

"Ok I'll answer your questions, but why are you after Frankie? He's a good guy, worked his entire life to keep his family dry, fed and clothed. What has he done to get this much attention from the military?" Roy stared hard at the man sat before him. There was an underlying anger simmering deep down in those black beady eyes. He'd have to keep an eye on this one.

"Our evidence suggests that Mr Frank Hasslemere witnessed a crime that my team and I are investigating. We'd like to ask him a few questions." He replied without giving away too much information. Derry's scowl deepened.

"What crime?" Boy this one was persistent wasn't he? Civilians weren't authorised to know exact investigation details in order to stop bias responses and unreliable evidence being found. But time was running out and he was losing his cool rapidly here. Kid's lives were depending on him…

"Mr Derry, children of various ages have been disappearing everyday for the past three and a half months. Last week an entire class of thirty two were hijacked on their field trip to the Central City Zoo. I have evidence to believe that Mr Hasslemere saw this happen. Please don't hinder my investigation any longer than necessary; those kids don't have much time. I'm sure you can understand the gravity of the situation being a father yourself." The guy put on a good act at looking stunned. The rest was just all too easy.

"My God! And you think Frankie witnessed it?" The act was clean and good but Roy was on to him. "Sure, he lives on Elmer's Avenue, third house on the left, big yellow truck. You can't miss it." Way too easy.

"Thank you Mr Derry, have a nice day." He turned to Riza with the new information and gave her a knowing look before heading out of the bar.

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Lavender eyes looked up at the sound of soft footsteps moving closer to her hidden position. A second later, cold crimson eyes stared back with a glint of curious interest sparkling in their hidden depths. "Where is he?" 

The Lavender eyed girl turned back to her view and pointed silently. Crimson eyes, swallowed up the image of a young boy sat up against a veranda wall, eyes closed against the dark dreary scene that was the district they called home. A soft whispering wind blew a few strands of golden hair away from the boys face, causing the boy to open his eyes. Her own eyes widened with delight.

Oh such colour! She could get lost in those eyes for a long time and never resurface. Golden auburn orbs of sunlight glanced around as though looking for something. Her need was already set. This boy was hers.

"He's perfect." She said in a tone that said I'll take him anyway regardless of the answer. The silent one closed her lavender eyes and nodded, pulling out her phone to relay her Mistresses' wishes. It rang twice before he answered.

"Sir, Kaa-san has found another one." She reported in a monotone voice.

"_Another one? Do we have the space?"_

"Space is not an issue. Kaa-san doesn't want to let this one get away; he has unusual colouring. He's sat outside possibly waiting for the man you're with right now." She reported, automatically bartering for her Mistresses profit. Such had been her role for a long time now.

"_Unusual colouring huh? And he's just sat there, outside?" _At this point the Mistress snatched the phone from the younger girl and started relaying orders to the man on the end of the line.

"He's perfect Derry-kun. I've found our Prince to be. Lure them to Entrance D? We already have a pickup there. We can ditch the other two in the house." She already had a plan forming in her mind. The guy gave a sigh before answering; he never could deny her wishes.

"_Ok sweetie if you can catch him, I'll let you keep him, but you're looking after him deal?"_

A cunning smile played on her red lips.

"Deal…"

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_**(End of Chapter)** In the Anime Series, he was 16 yrs when he went though the Gate of Truth for the 'last' time. After that in the movie it's said that he's close to 18 yrs, almost the age of becoming a soldier. In this fictional story however I'm changing his age to 17 yrs otherwise my plot bunny wouldn't exist. Reasons for this change will be explained in later chapters_. 


	3. Ch2 Of Fatal Ignorance

**Behind Closed Doors**

**Summary:** Children have been disappearing all of Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)

**Warnings:** Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… oh and slight possibility of Male x Male implications

**Authors Note:** Ok seeing as Chapter one was such a hit with you guys I'm updating early, here's Chapter two for you. Enjoy!

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**Ch2; Of Fatal Ignorance…**

Edward was bored. This entire place was just so… so… Boring! Even the weather agreed with him. It also gave him the chills, he swore someone was watching him but try as he might, he couldn't spot anyone around. He closed his eyes, hoping his imagination could entertain him somewhat but it seemed even his imagination was out of luck.

A cool breeze whispered past his face carrying with it the smell of rain. He opened his eyes and looked around judging the skies. Yeah it'll rain soon. Bleh, trust the clues to lead to a bar in which he could not enter due to his 'current' age. He was convinced the Colonel Bastard had just set this up to tease him about his height. He wouldn't put it past the guy. It wasn't like he had a choice about the age he'd come back as, although he should've guessed as much considering Alphonse's predicament when the Gate had thrust him back in a ten year old body. But then why did Alphonse get to be 17 now aswell? Biologically and mentally that was his age, so why couldn't Edward be his rightful age of 19? Gah! Who knew why the Gate did these things anyway? Curse it!

He sighed; boredom struck again and this time, becoming desperate for his mind to do something, his eyes settled on the lawn in front of him; and being the child genius that he is… he began to count the grass blades.

'One, two, three, four…' Several numberless minutes passed before he heard the familiar footsteps of Riza and Mustang moving toward the door. Finally! Now he had someone to take his boredom out on.

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"Could you be any longer?" The familiar voice of his 'favourite' subordinate penetrated the victorious mood with a blade of sarcasm and annoyance. Roy's eyebrow twitched. He stopped in his tracks to address the owner of the voice while Riza walked on ahead leaving the two to their bickering. Roy looked down with a scowl as the other sighed "I was getting bored of counting grass blades for the sixth time." Roy rolled his eyes. 

"Interrogations aren't easy FullMetal, especially with these types of guys." he replied, defending himself against the boy's criticism. Edward looked up from his leant position against one of the porch beams that encircled the run down bar house.

"Really? I thought Derry was a softie." He pushed off the beam and made to follow Riza back to the car waiting for them. As predicted by the youngest Alchemist; Roy inwardly fumed.

"You know him?" He asked through gritted teeth. Edward turned at the question with a nonchalant look on his face.

"No, but by the looks of him I'm sure I could take him. You seemed to have trouble though…" The young blond trailed off as he scooted into the car. Roy steamed at the ears as he followed.

"Why you little…" Usually Roy could keep his cool under any circumstance, but with Edward… well Edward was just a big exception to most rules so why not this one too?

_Crash! Flash! _

"Little?!"

And the heavens opened…

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The car pulled up quietly outside the rundown shack that was apparently a house. The sound of several car doors slamming shut rang loudly throughout the godforsaken district. Roy looked at it in disdain as he stepped forward; Edward sighed at his CO's vanity as he followed closely but suddenly paused. 

There it was again; that feeling of someone watching him only it was stronger now, more intense. He stayed like that for a full 30 seconds as the rain continued to drench them. Roy sighed;

"Ed…?" The frown on the boy's brow made him stop. Edward was sensing danger. His eyes focussed on the house; his gaze sharp and his stance unconsciously defensive. Roy had seen that defensive move too many times to ignore it and nine times out of ten the boy had been right. Roy strained his eyes as he peered up at the house. Riza unsheathed her gun and checked to make sure she was loaded before switching the safety lock off.

Edward's eyes suddenly narrowed. He could feel something sinister in the air. He didn't know how, he just knew.

"Something's not right." He said quietly. Roy narrowed his eyes and nodded; making the decision to investigate further.

"FullMetal, Hawkeye, round the back. Wait for my signal." Ed gave a grunt as Riza nodded before both took off racing down the street and round the corner to the back alleys. Roy watched them go for a second, a sudden churning turning his stomach as he watched Edward's blonde head disappear round the corner. He cursed twice before turning his attention back on the innocent looking house before him. He scowled before jumping the gate and creeping cautiously to the front door. He began to count the seconds until he was sure Edward and Riza were in place.

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"Lavender, make sure he finds the tunnel. I'll deal with our guests." The young girl gave an emotionless nod before quietly disappearing into the shadows of the shack. Crimson eyes narrowed at the man and woman stood on either side of the boy as the trio surveyed the house before splitting up; the man staying put eyeing the house warily. The boy was good; he could sense her presence and dark intentions with just a glance in her direction. She couldn't wait to have him join her family. 

Now all she had to do was get rid of the 'mother' and 'father'…

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Edward raced ahead, feeling an ominous gravity about the entire operation. He knew he was leaving Riza behind but at that moment he didn't rightly care. He turned a corner leading to the alleyway that ran along the back of the houses. The turn was sharp and he was out of Riza's sight for a moment. That was when he saw her. 

Deep purple eyes set delicately on a white porcelain face, framed by short black sleek hair. She looked like a princess from another world in the haze of the rain. She glanced up then and looked him straight in the eye for a split second before disappearing into the garden of the house he was targeting. He sped up, determined to find out who she was.

Riza followed obediently but Edward was far too fast for her to keep up with so she settled for just trying to keep him in sight until he slowed or stopped. She hadn't seen the girl or any other signs of life, so it was safe for her to assume Edward would be ok if he left her sight for a split second. The alley way blurred past her in a swirl of raindrops and mist as she kept her focus on the blonde boy ahead… that is until he turned sharply into the garden. She followed seconds later only to find him crouching down behind an old wooden shed to the left.

She moved over quietly so as not to alert anyone inside that they were on the property. He finally looked up, his golden eyes flashing for a split second before he realised who she was. He quickly scanned the house for signs of life before motioning her closer and pointing down to his discovery. A small trap door was embedded in the grass. The handle was worn so it was obviously still in use. Could this be a lead? The boy gave more signals; he was going in, she was to carry on. She gave a nod. He was, after all, a Superior Officer to her with her rank of Lieutenant and his being a Major.

She stood from her crouch and turned back to the house. All was quiet; in fact it was so quiet it was clichéd. She moved to the back door and quickly glanced back at the shed, only to watch as Edward disappeared into the ground. Her best wishes went with him as she prayed that wherever the trap door lead to was safe enough that he'd be alive when she next saw him.

A soft thud sounded from inside the house. Sensing trouble she quickly flattened herself against the wet wooden wall. With a practiced click, she switched the safety catch off and brought her gun up in a textbook perfect stance, levelling the butt of it with her eye. Her eyes narrowed to keep the rain from hindering her view. She hoped that all three of them would see each other alive after this.

But she'd been in the business long enough to know that Fate played a cruel game.

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Edward dropped down into the hidden hole with a muddy splash, his senses on high alert. It was dark and a little damp. Hn; he'd bet anything that Roy would have trouble fitting down there but it was a manageable size for him to deal with given his reluctant height. His eyes began to adjust slowly to the lack of light; there was a tunnel before him. He followed the passage as it turned toward the house while feeling wary of what he might find. Damn it was dark. 

"Mmph…" He froze. Body tensed for action, ears ever attentive to the sounds coming from ahead. Someone or something was down here with him. He cautiously continued, confident that if he couldn't see anything then the other guy couldn't either. He shook his red coat off to be safe anyway allowing his dark clothes to conceal him within the shadows all the more. More muffled sounds followed the first and he soon recognised the noises. They were people; gagged people.

His heart skipped a beat; he'd found them. He'd found the kids. He pulled out his radio and quickly found Riza's channel. He gave it two strong bursts of static before she responded likewise; it was safe to speak.

"I found the kids; they're underground all chained up." He spoke quietly so as not to give her position away. A crackle sounded, then;

"Good, keep them down there until I tell you it's safe to come up. The Colonel's sensing a strong force inside, things could get ugly." He rogered her quietly then put his radio back. He glanced around then, trying to see the room with the limited light. As his eyes adjusted to the lack of light in the cavern he could see a whole group of kids aged around nine to seventeen years. Each kid was shackled to the wall of the underground prison with a gag wrapped firmly around his or her mouth. They were squirming, moaning; trying to communicate… trying to warn him.

It was then that he realised it wasn't his eyes getting used to the dark; it was the dark getting lighter. He watched the shadows as they slowly receded, forced back by a soft yellow glow that was coming from behind him. His heart was pounding; he could hear his blood rushing in his ears, his breath becoming shallow. Slowly he turned, knowing full well he'd been caught. It was the girl from before; the lavender eyed princess who'd practically beckoned him to her lair. She stood with a candle in her hand, staring at him with a blank face but curious eyes.

"You will come with me." It wasn't a question, but then Edward wasn't very open to orders either. He frowned in defiance.

"Like hell I will." The girl gave no outward response. This one was a weird one.

"You will obey my command or you will be forced to obey. There is no need for unnecessary violence." She stated calmly while slowly advancing on the golden haired boy. Edwards's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Hn, your definition and my definition differs then. I'd say that when a hostile opponent tries to approach me I'm entitled to defend myself. I'd call that necessary violence, wouldn't you?" He sank into a comfortable battle ready stance and clapped his hands together. Sparks of Alchemic energy lit up the cavern, dancing around on his fingertips where he held the energy ready. The girl's step faltered.

"Please do not force me to harm you. I have no ill will toward you." Anger boiled up inside at those words. How could she say such things when she'd obviously helped to kidnap several hundred children for no apparent reason?

"You expect me to believe you when I see kidnapped children chained to the walls of this underground dungeon? How do you expect me to believe that?" He asked, still unsure on where to throw his energy and what to transmute the decided material to. His hesitation didn't go unnoticed.

"I admit, it may be difficult for you to believe me given the circumstances as they stand. I cannot fault your logic or reaction. But I have my orders as I'm sure you have yours. You will understand if I am forced to use whatever means to fulfil my orders." This girl must be insane. But he'd underestimated stranger people and had paid for it dearly too; he still had the scars to prove it.

"What are you talk-ACK!" White hot pain suddenly took him hostage as a sudden darkness tunnelled his vision. His body gave out completely beneath him, crumpling down in a messy heap of splayed limbs that felt like jelly.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Eric-kun, Mama doesn't want her kids fighting now." That voice was new. Someone else was down here too? That explained the sudden attack from behind. Wait a minute; did she just call him Eric? Before he could ponder more on that thought, a pair of strong hands found his shoulders and began dragging him to the far wall where some spare shackle braces laid waiting for their victims. In seconds his wrists were effectively restrained, not that his brain was completely functioning to notice.

The new addition walked up to him slowly before kneeling down in front of him. Red eyes found his lidded golden ones as he tried to stay conscious. She reached up to his cheek and caressed it gently while apologising.

"I'm sorry Eric-kuns, but you've been a naughty boy. Don't worry, Mama's not mad." What was this nonsense the woman was spewing out? Eric-kun? Mama? Damn his head! He obviously wasn't thinking straight…

Her hand reached up past his cheek and found his red hair tie with her delicate digits. With a gentle pull she released his golden strands before smiling adoringly. A sharp pain made itself known as his hair fell freely about his face. "We don't need this." She said as she tossed the hair tie behind her somewhere before brushing her fingers deep into his hair, invading his personal space with a confidence that one would only expect from a close friend or family member. The pain intensified tenfold, he couldn't suppress the whimper that followed. "Your hair is much prettier when it's down."

His eyes closed against his will as a rush of nausea left him feeling light and a little green. The room was spinning, he was sure of it. And the last thing he heard was the hushed voice of the mad woman knelt before him, cooing to him, caressing his face...

"That's it dear, go to sleep. Mama will be here when you wake up…"

'_Roy… where are you?'_


	4. Ch3 Of Missing Aggravations…

**Behind Closed Doors**

**Summary:** Children have been disappearing all of Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)

**Warnings:** Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… oh and slight possibility of Male x Male implications

**Authors Note:** Ok extra long chappy for you guys! 7 pages! No wonder my fingers look burnt o.O heh, well I'm glad you all like it so far. Thanks for reviewing, and I will get round to replying individually but don't hold your breath, busy lives means little time to myself. And when I do have time for myself I'm typing up the next chapter for ya so it's up to you; a response to your review or another chapter to read?

Ok yeah I can pretty much guess the answer to that one. Ok, ok I give, here's the next chapter, sheesh…

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**Ch3; Of Missing Aggravations…**

Three… Two… One…

"GO!" Both Riza and Roy charged into the empty house, guns held out ready to aim, gloved fingers prepped and ready to snap at a moments notice, but… no one was home. Startled brown eyes met confused obsidian ones as they waited for the enemy to make its move.

Several precious seconds passed by with no movement. Nothing stirred, not even the dust on the floor. Roy's eyes narrowed; that was suspicious in itself. It looked like no one had been here for quite some time but he was sure he felt someone watching him. Even Edward had sensed danger and it was very rare that he was wrong; it was like the kid had a sixth sense for this sort of thing.

Riza scanned the room once more before noticing other rooms branching off in different directions. She glanced back at Roy who gave a nod, confirming her thoughts; split up and yell if you find something. He veered to his right (which was her left) and she took the opposite direction, gun still drawn. She passed through an open doorway and found herself in an old fashioned sitting room, complete with delicate chinaware on show in a vast glass cabinet covering an entire wall. Dust covered everything dulling its beauty to a mere grey frosting. She held in the urge to sneeze lest someone really was inside still.

The floor boards creaked underneath her feet as she moved slowly and carefully around the room, checking every nook and cranny for possible hostiles.

Roy on the other hand had ventured into the kitchen. Again a thick layer of dust coated every surface available giving everything a grey frosting. He checked the cupboards, pantry and even the washroom that branched off again from a door behind the door he'd stepped through to get in the kitchen in the first place. He retreated back into the main room and found his second in command waiting for him. There were no other rooms in the building, no bedrooms, no stair ways, not even a bathroom; just a main room, a kitchen and a posh looking sitting room.

"It's clear. No one's here." Riza confirmed but still the feeling of being watched wouldn't leave. Roy nodded stiffly.

"Yeah. Where's Ed?" He'd been wondering ever since Riza barged in alone from the back garden. He'd kept an eye out for him but he never came in. He trusted Riza to know but that didn't stop his worry. They were, after all, investigating a child kidnapper and in the state's eyes, Edward was still a child.

"Outside. He found a trapdoor, told me to go on and watch your back." Riza gave the slightest hint of a smile as Roy frowned in annoyance; that cocky little bastard. "He radioed in a few minutes ago saying he'd found the kids. I told him to stay low 'till it was safe." Roy nodded, agreeing with the idea before another thought struck him; what if the kidnappers were down there too? They obviously weren't on ground level and they wouldn't just leave a bunch of kids in a place like this unguarded.

"Backup should be here in a few minutes, Sir." Riza continued, oblivious to the sudden horror that had attacked the Colonel. The sound of tyres screeching out the front marked the early arrival of said backup and Riza amended her verbal report. "Scratch that, backup has arrived, Sir."

"Good, I need a team of five to come with me." He ordered as he moved directly for the back door. Riza gave a puzzled look.

"Sir?" Roy's eyes darkened as he gave his response.

"The kidnapper is still here, and there's only one place left to hide…"

* * *

Ow.

That was the only word he could use to sum up what he felt at that particular moment, _even though technically it wasn't really a word at all... _His head hurt. His mind felt… hazy? And he was sure the room was spinning in two different directions.

"Unghh…"

Automatically, he tried to bring his hands to his head but something seemed to be holding them in place. He frowned. Al? No he was in Risembool on annual leave with Winry and Ed Jr. He winced at that name, the poor kid; he'd have to have a few words with his brother before the official naming ceremony. No kid would want to be named after their uncle with such a name. Briefly forgetting his earlier results, he tried to bring his hands to his eyes but again they were restricted by something. Frowning in confusion, before remembering that he'd already tried, he began to wonder what was holding him down. Then it hit him.

His eyes shot open but only a bleak darkness met his bleary gaze. He was still in the holding chamber underneath the house but something was different…He frowned trying to figure out what had changed. It was dark yes, but it had always been dark. Then again had it always been this stuffy and closed? Hmm… that was it; the entryway he'd used to find this place was missing, instead a rocky wall stood strong and firm in its place, perfectly sealed with no proof of there ever being an opening to begin with.

But how? He frowned trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Ok so he'd found a bunch of kidnapped kids. Then this kid walks in holding a candle or some sort of oil lamp. Then… then… that woman… that mad woman hit him from behind… but from there onwards it was a little fuzzy.

"Mmphh..." He tried to swear but something seemed to muffle his attempts at voicing his thoughts. Great, he was gagged too. Well that just added to his discomfort. He couldn't move to inspect the wall or find a way out and he couldn't call out for help even though he knew Roy and Riza were close by. Atleast he hoped they were close by; he didn't know how long he'd been out so it was quite possible they'd abandoned all hope of finding him down there. That just meant he had to get out of here all the more, before he was taken someplace he didn't know because then escape wouldn't be too easy. He pulled at his restraints, but they were solid iron shackles set deep into the rock. They weren't going anywhere anytime soon and by the looks of it, neither was he. He sighed inwardly, this just wasn't his day.

_Creeeeeaaaak…_ Golden eyes flashed, peering into the darkness, searching for the newly heard threat. Hushed voices met his ears… oh Gods; they were back and by the sounds of it there were more of them.

"We'll have to move quickly; there's more of them now. We'll be found at this rate. Gods, all this palava for just one kid?! If I'd known he was so popular with the military I wouldn't have said yes." Hmm, that voice sounded familiar but why? He squinted into the darkness to see if he could see who was approaching him but it was too dark. Well he guessed he'd find out sooner or later considering he was their captive… for now.

"But Dear…" Oh God. He paled visibly. It was that mad woman from before; the one who knocked him into the next world. "You should see him; an exotic beauty fit for Prince-hood. You know I can't just leave pretty things like that alone." Prince-hood? Bloody hell, this woman needed therapy… and a mallet to the brain too but maybe that was just him wishing for revenge against his throbbing head.

"Ok I understand; you really like him. Just tell me where he is." A light appeared at the other end of the cavern where the small group of people emerged. From his vantage point he could count up to six or seven bodies; three of which were carrying candles or torches. He saw one figure raise an arm as though gesturing.

"On the far wall; where I keep my special prizes." Another figure turned his head to follow the gestured limb and he swore the guy was looking straight at him. Footsteps sounded as the two began to move in his direction and before long he was scowling up at an unshaven bully of a man. Edward's eyes narrowed. It was the man from the bar; the one Roy had been questioning not long ago. Derry.

"Hn, so you're the gold-mine brat those dogs upstairs are trying to sniff out." He knelt down in the dark in front of him and took his chin roughly in his hand forcing Edward's head left, then right, then up as though inspecting it for something. Edward fought against his grip but the guy had a good hold. "Hm? And what's so special about you I wonder?" He let the boy's head go before reaching up and squeezing his upper arms, testing his muscular bodywork before gradually moving lower down to his chest. Edward bucked then and kicked out; trying to escape the invading hands but two nameless faces suddenly loomed over him and held him still allowing Derry to continue inspecting the poor boy.

"Well he isn't much to look at but he's got a good body. He'll pull his weight in the mines that's for sure." Not much to look at?! '_Who are you calling ugly mister?!' _The cheek of this guy! Hey wait; Mines? When did mines come into all of this?

"You can't see him in this light dear. Lavender! Bring that candle here." The mad woman called loudly across the cavern. Derry winced before hissing at her.

"Quiet woman, they'll find us." The woman glanced around fearfully before apologising timidly. Lavender, the girl from before, the one who'd caused all this trouble to begin with, stepped forward with a bright candle. The flame hurt his eyes after being so used to the darkness but he managed to get a good look at his captors while they got a good look at him.

"Well, this does put things into perspective doesn't it now boys?" Something wasn't right. Derry's voice just got a whole lot scarier, like he had finally figured something out and was plotting to use it against him. "Looks like we caught ourselves the FullMetal Alchemist." Ok that smirk did not look good. "You're right dear, he is a jewel. A very expensive one…" Expensive? Uh oh…

"You're not going to sell him are you? I wanted him for our home." Sell?! Gah it was just as he feared; this was some sort of child slave scandal. And now he was on the front page. Lord knew he had numerous enemies who'd do anything to get their hands on him… _'Gods smite me now…'_

"Hmmm. I'll do you a deal darling; if the right price comes along I'll sell him but if not you get to keep him ok?" The woman's crimson eyes lit up with hope as Edward's dimmed even more. A lifetime with that excuse for a woman? _'Gods if you hate me, please kill me now!'_

"How much is he worth?" Interesting question. He listened carefully.

"Hmm at an estimate I'd say 100,000 billion but it could go up." Both golden and crimson eyes widened. He was worth over 100,000 Billion on the black market?! How did this happen?

"No body can afford that. " The woman was fighting back tears of joy. Well atleast someone got something positive out of all this. Shame it was his enemies benefit and not his. But damn… 100,000 billion…

"But if they can, I'll sell him understand?" Positive now that she would be able to keep her little treasure, the woman nodded confidently before kneeling down in front of Edward. She smiled wickedly before reaching up to stroke her fingers through his hair.

"I understand completely..." He leant away from her touch as far as he could given his current restrained position but he was spared the humiliation of her 'tender love' by the guy who'd set up the entire auction out.

"That's enough dear, we need to move out. " He turned to Edward as the woman moved away; a smile on his face. "Well if it's you they're after, then it's you we'll move first." He said rhetorically before addressing one of the other guys who'd followed him down. "Get me the sedatives I can tell this one will give us a fight." Sedatives? Damn, these guys were smart. If only he could leave a sign for Roy, a message to pass on…

"Don't worry…" His attention snapped back to Derry who was sat in front of him squeezing out the remaining air bubbles in a rather scary looking syringe. Edward's eyes widened at the size of the thing. Then a plan entered his head. The guy loomed over him as he felt for a vein in his arm leaving his belly open to attacks. Edward bided his time; he was waiting for the prick to let him know when the needle had gone in. He breathed deeply, readying himself to move quickly with as much force as he could muster…

…

There it was! In a flash, he kicked out at Derry's gut pushing the man away with such a force that the syringe fell from his arm and smashed on the floor in a small puddle; his blood still lingering on the tip of the needle.

"Why you little brat!" He yelled, totally forgetting all warnings from earlier. "Heh, don't worry there's more where that came from!" Another guy came over with a readily prepped syringe. Two more appeared either side of him and roughly held him down while the 'boss' wasted no time in plunging this one haphazardly into his arm this time, not caring if he hit a vein or not. It hurt like a bitch.

When he felt nothing other than the throbbing pain from the point of entry, he began to think that maybe they'd used the wrong drug but he was soon mistaken when his eyes suddenly began to droop. He had no control over them; they just shut on their own. Traitors! But then, his body began to follow suit, relaxing against his will. A dark abyss rose up from behind and his last thoughts were those of the clue he'd left for Roy and whether or not Roy would find it.

"Heh, that's it brat, sleep while you can, coz you'll have none of that where you're going…"

'Roy…'

* * *

"Riza, I thought you said Edward was down here?" Roy's eyes shifted around the small cavernous hole he'd just dropped into; it was empty. He frowned in worry; Edward was supposed to be waiting down here for them with several kids. But he wasn't there.

"He was! I saw him! He radioed in saying he'd found some kids tied up! I told him to wait down here with them until it was safe to bring them up." Roy glanced over at his second in command. Riza's wide eyes were looking almost frantically around the small cavern underneath the house. She was telling the truth. He glanced around again, looking for any holes, hidden doors or even a tunnel but the place was clean, and more frustratingly; it was empty.

"Well he's not here now and there are no kids." The realisation of what must have happened was slowly dawning on him; panic flared up inside the dark haired Colonel. Edward was missing… But how?! How did one evacuate an entire cavern with little or no noise and absolutely no clues left behind? They'd have seen them if they used the trap door and it would've taken way too long to move all the kids out of there that way. So how…?

"I can see that Sir…" Agitation wavered her voice as she continued to look for a sign that Edward had been in the cavern. He inwardly winced; both were worried beyond comprehension but neither could do a damned thing about it.

"There must be a hidden switch or something down here." He said confidently. "They must still be down here." Riza frowned at him, unsure of what evidence the Colonel had for such a thought. He sighed.

"How would you evacuate this place with little or no noise that ensured you safety in leaving without being noticed?" He asked before continuing. "They didn't leave through the trap door, we would have noticed and that would have taken time. But clearly there is no other way out… I'm guessing these people used some form of alchemy to hide away their escape exit." At this Riza's eyes lit up. She understood now, but how would one find the hidden exit?

"Colonel!" A cry sounded from somewhere behind them, she turned instantly half expecting to find Edward crawling out of a hole and asking them what had taken so long but instead she found a young officer from the forensics team looking up earnestly in their direction. "I've found something come see!" By the looks of him he was obviously a Private-in-training; blonde hair, green-grey eyes and a round boyish face… a newbie. He was leant over something on the ground. Instantly Roy was by his side and she had to follow at a fast pace to keep up. When she arrived and looked down she had to hold back a gasp.

"Is that?" The flashlight lit up the lone red ribbon, golden strands of stray hair glittering with a faint crimson glow under the artificial light of the Private's torch.

Blood.

"Yeah… It's Ed's." Tears stung at her eyes but she held them back stubbornly. This didn't mean he was gone, it just meant he was here. She stared hard at the wall the behind the hair tie as she tried to compose herself. That was when she noticed it. A slight difference in texture and colour. She reached out and touched the rocky wall but it felt softer, smoother… unnatural.

"Sir. Take a look at this." Roy looked up and followed her gaze. She could see the scepticism in his eyes as he looked unseeingly at the wall that had captured her interest.

"It's a wall Riza…" She growled in frustration before thinking of clocking him one on the head. Instead she breathed a deep sigh to calm herself down somewhat. She then used her no-nonsense tone on him while threatening to take out her gun for more emphasis.

"Take a closer look…" Roy caught the sudden change in her voice and looked up at her. Her glare felt like icy knives cutting straight though him. She meant business. He frowned in puzzlement before moving to study the wall. It was nothing special, just a rock wall like all the others down there. He closed his eyes and sighed, trusting Riza with her judgement.

"What am I not seeing?" he asked turning to her expectant gaze. She nodded; satisfied that he was taking her seriously now. She then reached out again to touch the wall.

"It's smoother and lighter than the other walls, it's almost unnatural. Like it was carved or sculpted… possibly by alchemy?" Hmm… now that she mentioned it, it did seem a little lighter than the other walls, and it was smoother. It was definitely a possibility that someone had used alchemy to put it there. Roy reached out with an ungloved hand and touched the wall, closing his eyes as he let his alchemical energies feel the material underneath his fingertips. A low humming permeated through his being, charged energy that shouldn't exist in a bog-standard wall. He opened his eyes slowly, if alchemy had created this wall then what was it hiding? The escape route? It had to be!

"You've found it Riza! You found their hidden escape!" Elation seemed to sweep the heavy sense of loss to oblivion as the impact of what she had discovered finally sunk in. If she'd found the escape route then maybe she'd found Edward too? "Stand back, I'm going to open it." She moved away to a safe distance and watched as he stood there re-gloving his naked hand. He looked like a hero about to march into the depths of hell to retrieve his prized friend. He raised his hands in his signature stance before snapping his fingers with a quick and rapid ease. A spark flickered briefly before a small flame hovered above his thumb. For a long minute nothing seemed to be happening, but Riza knew he was actually gathering oxygen at one focussed point on the wall. It wouldn't be long now.

BOOM! With an impressive explosion of lights and debris, the Flame Alchemist had struck again. And it was still impressive even after seeing it so many times. To have such power at one's fingertips… it was unthinkable and yet Alchemists had been doing it for thousands of years.

It took a while for the smoke to clear away but when it did a small sizable hole was apparent. Roy held his hand up to the opening; a cool draft flowed through strongly, suggesting another opening of some form in the other room. He crouched down in front of it examining what he could see inside. Not a lot. He turned round ready to issue orders but to his surprise he found his team assembled and ready to go. Roy gave a proud smile and nodded once before entering the hidden room… ready to battle what ever Fate could throw at him.


	5. Ch4 Of Breadcrumbs and Messages

**Behind Closed Doors**

**Summary:** Children have been disappearing all of Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)

**Warnings:** Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst; slight possibility of Male x Male implications... oh and spoilers in this particular chappy but I don't think they give away too much...

**Authors Note:** o.O I seriously never thought my random muse would ever earn this story so many positive reviews so soon! Your praise has kept me going strong, Thankies to you all!

Ok I promised jenelric that I would update if she updated her fic and she did but when I tried to update this chapter gave me a little trouble; it kept getting errors and such when uploading, so I copied and pasted into notepad and uploaded it that way. But when I opened it on it had these strange symbols in the text... so if you guys out there find a symbol thing that I've missed can someone let me know? They seem to have replaced all my commas, speech marks and stuff and I've been though replacing them and such but I may have missed one or two...

Anyhoo, this chapter is the beginning of the downward spiral for poor Edward, so if you think it looks bad for him now just wait til later on... Don't worry, I don't believe in Main Character deaths for I feel I have no right in killing off other people's creations. Unless it makes the story good... uh oh... I think my plot bunny is brainstorming again.

Well with that wonderful thought, I'll leave you now with Chapter four... Enjoy!

PS! Not even a day after this was posted, a kind reviewer pointed out a small mistake on my behalf. 'Paternal' should have been 'Maternal', this mistake has been rectified. My deepest apologies to those who noticed it and got slightly confused... _I'll tell you now, our strange and bewildered villainess is NOT a transexual; she is all woman... even if she isn't 'all there' in the mind, so to speak_. Highest Thanks go to **'SerenityFrogLuvr3'** for pointing this out.

THANKYOU!

* * *

**Ch4; Of Breadcrumbs and Messages...**

It was dark.

"Uh chief?"

Really dark; with no indication of what was in front or behind.

"Yes Breda."

A cold icy wind blew at them from one side, like a ghost's last breath.

"Does this remind you of the time we thought we saw the thirteenth Warehouse?"

It was eerily quiet too. Not even an echo...

"No Breda it doesn't."

The smell of old dusty mildew filtered through the icy chill with a hint of metal and something else..

"Well it sure is just as creepy... if not creepier I'd say."

_Crunch_

Roy paused mid-step causing Breda, Havoc and Fuery to imitate a pile up behind him. He fought to stay upright and barely managed to win. With a quick snap of his fingers, the room was cast into a soft yellow glow. He turned and glared down at the trio who'd bumped into him. Hn, it seemed that he was the only one to win the battle with gravity.

"Sir, you're stood on something." Riza's voice filtered through the gloom from behind all of them causing the three on the floor to jump but also reminding Roy why he'd stopped in the first place. He ignored their antics and looked down as he moved his foot; several pieces of glass glittered on the floor and as he squatted to get a closer look, he suddenly realised what it was he'd just stepped on.

A syringe; smashed long before his boot attacked it, with a lingering smell of something foreign and a splash of crimson on the needle head. This was evidence.

"Sir..." He looked up; Riza's voice had strained considerably on that one word. Something had shaken her. He stood and frowned, bracing himself for whatever Riza had found. "He was here... In this room." She turned holding something out as she walked toward him but it was too dark to see anything from where he stood. His brow furrowed even more as she stopped in front of him, holding up FullMetal's long red overcoat in both hands. He cursed.

"Sir, there are shackles on three of the four walls, and they were used recently too." So this was the holding room and Edward had found it only to mysteriously disappear aswell. Damn that kid's intuition! He should have known this assignment would spell trouble for the kid. Why didn't he argue the Fuehrer's word? Why didn't he try to get Edward off this case? He knew it would be dangerous for him and he just knew something like this would happen. So why didn't he fight back?! Why?!

"Chief, do you think the Boss'll be alright?" The voice was hesitant, his lost sheep looking toward their shepherd for guidance. He had explained the dangers that were involved for Edward on this case and had asked them to help him keep an eye on the boy when he was too busy. His team felt like a close knit family, he felt responsible for every member like a father would feel about his children and just as he'd hoped, the two Elric boys had been accepted with open arms into that little family. So to them, losing Edward like this was like losing one of their youngest brothers.

"He'll be ok Breda, he's the FullMetal Alchemist." He sighed worriedly, who was he kidding? Edward was just a boy who just happened to have the most amazing luck one could ever dream of. In situations like this the boy was as lost as Roy himself, "Havoc I want this place lit up, Breda I want a forensics team in here pronto; analyse everything you find... I want to find Edward Elric now!" Instant movement answered his orders as he turned on his heel; his decision made. He scowled at the shadows; they were mocking him, taunting him, dangling poor Edward in front of his nose but just out of reach.

"Riza, Fuery with me. We're going to find this son of a -"

* * *

"Achoo!" Derry sniffled. "Hmm someone must be talking about me-e-e-a-Achoo!" he sniffed again before letting out one final explosive sneeze. "ACHOOO!" Both girls flinched when he sniffled loudly again. 

"Someone must really hate you." Crimson eyes narrowed accusingly at the gagged children being loaded in the back of the van, eyeing each one but to no avail; they were all unconscious. Her gaze lingered there a few minutes more before dropping to her lap where her precious Eric-kun lay, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Maternal instincts rose up slowly inside her and before long she was humming a soft melody while running her fingers gently through his golden hair, a mothering smile on her red lips.

"Hn. So it would seem..." He leaned back in his seat and glanced in his wing mirror to check how many more kids were left to load up. He yawned before pulling his cap over his eyes and shuffling down in his seat.

"Wake me up when its time to go..."

* * *

Never in her life had she ever witnessed the Flame Alchemist's temper reach such a dangerous level. He was literally smouldering at the ears. Yes he was officially pissed off but this was something more; the way he walked so rigidly, the way his shoulders were set, his jaw clamped shut; he was severely worried about Edward. They were all worried about him. He'd been gone not even under an hour and already the military was in a fritz. It was those few precious minutes directly after the disappearance that made everything count, it could be the make or break of the situation. Everyone knew it, which was why they were all working so damned hard to find Edward and the kids before they lost all trails... 

"Someone's been through here recently." They were in a cave shaft, naturally formed but well used by the looks of the beer cans and crisp packets strewn across the age old stalagmites. Roy stopped and looked down at where Fuery squatted, a cold hard gaze behind his eyes; muddy footprints, heavy and several of them; they were fresh. "And several times too." The desk clerk looked up when he felt his CO's hard stare boring onto the floor beside him. Instinctively he flinched and made to move out of the way but the Colonel was already moving on, following the clues Fuery had pointed out. Riza followed closely as Fuery jumped up and ran a little to keep from being left behind.

After a short while a light found their weary eyes, shining from up ahead. Roy's brows furrowed as the sound of gruff voices met his ears too. These people were just up ahead, and they had Edward.

_'I'm coming Ed...'_

The light was coming from around another bend, effectively hiding them from their targets. Roy motioned for the other two to stay put while he did a quick surveillance of the area. He squatted down close to the floor and peeked out using a reflecting mirror to see what was going on. Several spotlights lit up the cavernous domed area where a large hi-top van sat with its rear doors open wide revealing several tied up children lying asleep on top of one another inside. He couldn't spot Edward among them. He tilted the mirror up and around checking each wall for possible ambush openings or anything that might delay their departure. That was when he noticed the electrical generator; it was placed not too far from the entrance and if he crawled he could reach it without anyone noticing.

That was convenient. What was also convenient was the little tunnel leading to a series of shelves that opened out into the main dome-like room. An idea formed in his head. He moved back to the others to relay his plans and send for more help. He was going to need every last bit of help he could get to pull it off.

* * *

His hair was so golden... Like a sea of sunshine. She'd always liked the colour gold but red was her all time favourite. Gold suited him; he was her golden Eric-kun and he was perfect. His fair skin was so pale, so smooth and flawless; his nose was so small but well proportioned. Oh but his eyes took the prize instantly; bright glowing orbs of molten gold set delicately in a fragile frame of thick golden lashes. He was her little treasure; a keepsake from this wretched job away from home. Oh but he'd fit in so perfectly at home, she didn't understand why her Derry-kuns had to sell him. It wasn't fair; he'd promised that she could pick a child from this batch as her own but when she'd picked Eric-kun he said he might have to sell him... hmph. Well she wasn't giving up that easily, she had her ways of getting what she wanted. A sly grin found her features; this was going to be fun. 

She smiled down at her treasure. He looked so peaceful and pretty and his hair seemed to float around his face like an angel's halo. She brought her fingers up to run through his hair, wondering how it could feel so soft.

Her fingers were mere millimetres away when suddenly, the light's went out.

* * *

Roy peered through the night vision goggles; his coal black eyes locked on Edward's prone form, laid limp on some strange woman's lap. A frown found his brow as he watched her clutch the blonde boy closer in her fear. The man sat in the driver's seat flinched then jumped awake before fumbling around the cabin interior. A flashlight blinded those sat in the cabin before their eyes became used to the sudden light. 

A growl almost escaped his lips as Roy's eyes finally discovered who had 'ed'-napped his subordinate. **(XD that was for you radcat; sorry I couldn't resist, 'tis such a cute word!)** He calmed himself down though; getting irate about something he already suspected wasn't going to help Edward in the slightest. He had to stay focussed, had to reach his goal.

He gave two short bursts of static throughout the radio systems that he and his team had and before long he saw the bodies of his own men engaging silent contact with the enemy. He held himself back, had to wait for five minutes before moving, that was the plan. He was the Grand Finale after all...

Two more minutes. His men were taking down the enemy with a speed to be proud of. He smiled, it was going perfectly. He stood then and braced himself for his appearance.

Then two sort bursts of static found his ears. That was the signal.

He jumped off the shelf and landed in an impressive blaze before the van; a ring of fire encircling the vehicle leaving no means for escape. He glared into the cabin feeling the heated glare staring back at him. The driver's door opened.

Derry stepped out, a smirk on his face. Roy's mood soured.

"Well, this was certainly unexpected." The guy was just as beer-bellied and rotund as he was in the bar; his beady eyes hiding something of a secret at all times even though his little game had been found out. Anger flared up through the Colonel's veins but he held it in. The guy was mocking him...

"I believe you have something of mine." He replied starkly, eyes narrowed to their fullest, his scowl deep and intimidating. The man chuckled, he didn't even bother trying to hide the fact.

"Oh you mean your little friend?" He glanced into the cabin at something Roy couldn't see but he assumed it was Edward. "I'm sorry but you see my daughter's taken a liking to him and I just can't bear to see her go without." Damn that smirk! Roy's temper was failing fast. "Is there anything I can offer to compensate?" The nerve of this guy?!

"I'm sorry but Edward is not for sale." He raised his hand, fingers ready to snap. He was going to have to fight for the boy. Gah, trust Edward to get kidnapped by the most dangerous types! He swore the boy did this just to give him grey hairs early┘

"Edward? Is that his name? Well that's too bad. My daughter had her heart set on Eric. Guess we'll have to change his name too." Ok, that threw him. Change his name? How can someone just up and decide to change someone else's name? Something wasn't right.

"Change his name? Have you lost whatever brain-cells you had in your head?" His anger got the best of him but he was passed caring now. This bastard had kidnapped hundreds of kids, obviously drugged them and was now throwing it all in his face?! He was sick of this case and sick of this bastard and his smug grin. How he wanted to just...

His fingers twitched.

"Oh no, on the contrary; I grew more..." A mocking smile found the guys lips. "I'll give you a hint. Try looking up 'mind attacks' then see of you can save your precious Edward before it's too late." The large man stepped away from the car as he spoke, his hands raised in a strange gesture; some form of fighting stance.

Roy tapped his radio three times. He'd need help with this one. Almost instantly he saw a flash of blond hair; Riza. He found her eyes and relayed his message silently; '_I'll be the diversion, you get Edward out of here.' _She nodded. It all happened within seconds; no one was any wiser. His eyes snapped back to Derry, he was a tricky one, and slippery too. He'd have to be careful for Edward's sake because if he failed here then Edward was as good as gone.

He had to win.


	6. Ch5 Of Heartbreaks and Sorrows

**Behind Closed Doors**

**Summary:** Children have been disappearing all of Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)

**Warnings:** Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… and slight possibility of Male x Male implications…

**Authors Note:** I'm sorry; this is a short chapter but an imperative one if the story is to move forward… And yes, my plot bunny has been busy. I now have five other ideas for five other fictions all of which belong to different Anime's and I still have to finish the 13 odd that I've already posted on here.

-.-'

Well looks like I'm not gonna be seeing my bed for a while.

* * *

**Ch5; Of Heartbreaks and Sorrows…**

Riza kept herself hidden. She was on the other side of the van, watching the wing mirror incase someone spotted her from inside. She had to get this right. If she didn't, well she'd never see poor Edward again. And that was unacceptable.

"_You know Colonel whoever you are, you have no chance against me. I've been to places you wouldn't even dream about, I've learned things your brain could never imagine… you might as well give up now._" Cocky bastard… No! Focus! You have to help Edward!

"_Oh and how would you know? You've never fought me before and you certainly don't know where I've been or what I've learned._" Good come back Sir! Her eyes stayed focussed on the wing mirror, she could see into the cabin now. A dark haired little girl sat in the passenger's seat while in the back a red head was holding on to Edward as though he were her last hope of survival. The boy however made no movements to indicate that he was even conscious. Her brow furrowed. They'd drugged him just like the other kids. How cowardly!

"_Hm we'll soon see… heeyah!_" The sounds of a battle broke out loudly and Riza took that as her cue. She reached the passenger door and tugged it open aiming her gun at the red head while keeping an eye on the little girl too. Shocked crimson eyes locked fearfully on the gun and tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"Don't shoot! Please!" Her cries were loud but quiet enough that no one else could hear her. Riza frowned, could this woman also be a victim? Then that girl was too? She made a decision; they were harmless.

"Are either of you hurt?" The woman shook her head. The girl made no response. Probably scared stiff. Riza's eyes fell down to Edward's prone form splayed over the woman's lap; he was still sleeping.

"Let me check him…" The woman hesitated as though unsure if she should trust the blonde militant but she relinquished her hold somewhat, acting as though trying to keep the boy as comfortable as possible. Riza reached over to check his pulse and make sure he was unharmed. There was a nasty bump on the back of his head but other than that he seemed relatively unharmed. Riza turned to speak again but a sharp horrid spike of pain suddenly gripped her head. She looked up just in time to see the girl's hands glowing slightly before she fell forward into the waiting arms of unconsciousness.

She never saw Edward stir.

* * *

Block, kick, kick, block, block, block…Damn this guy was fast. It was all Roy could do to keep from being hit. The guy was keeping close to him, not giving him a chance to back away and use his preferred form of alchemy. He growled in frustration. This guy was smarter than he looked; he'd underestimated him. A fatal mistake but not one that wasn't rectifiable. He just had to think quickly. Tch, but that was Edward's high ground. Sure the blonde twit was cocky and abrasive but he wasn't called a child genius for nothing. 

What would Edward do? A smirk; he'd probably transmute the ground into a cage but Roy couldn't do that without a transmutation circle.

A slight pause in the rain of blows had him glancing at the floor; scuff marks of where they had been fighting stuck out like a sore thumb.

Then an idea hit him.

* * *

A soft warm wind found his face in short bursts. Dull nullified sounds make its way to his awareness. Slowly feeling came back to him but it felt strange, like he wasn't upright anymore but rather, upside down or laid on his side? He couldn't move much, his muscles still ridden with the sedative in his system but his mind was fighting back. Something familiar had found his unconscious mind and his body was trying to respond. 

Garbled voices were talking in hushed tones nearby. He concentrated on them trying to will his mind to wake up some more. But the first things he could make out sent chills down his spine…

"Shall I kill her Kaa-san?" Such a young voice saying such horrible words. His mind must be fuzzier than he thought. It wasn't until the second voice found his befuddled brain that he suddenly realised he wasn't dreaming. His stomach turned.

"No! We don't kill people. We use them." Gods it was that woman…why did the Gods curse him with her?! What had he done to deserve this sort of punishment? He paused, his sarcasm finally kicking in – yeah ok, he'd done some pretty stupid things to warrant a holy punishment but come on! This was just too much!

"Will Dou-san let her come with us to Pei-Ling?" Pei-Ling? That's where they were taking him? Hmm, maybe he wasn't so screwed after all. If he could just get a message to the Colonel then he'd be found within days, then he could go home and give his brother a talking to about baby names and the evil sin of naming your son after your badly named brother who doesn't like his own name anyway.

"I don't think so. Just shove her outside and lock the doors." Damnit who on earth were they talking about anyway?! He struggled to find the muscles to his eyes; they were weak but still functional… of a sort. He struggled a little more before the hazy world of light filled his bleary sight. He blinked tiredly a few times to clear his vision, his body still completely numb. The peaceful face of Riza Hawkeye met his gaze. She was out for the count. Great no help there, but then a thought struck him.

His eyes fell closed again, the sedatives in his system finding new power over him. He struggled to stay awake…

_'I've got… to leave a… clue… but how…' _

* * *

Derry knew exactly what Roy was up to the minute the dark haired man had decided it, but he let the man think he had the upper hand anyway; watching the confident faces of those who thought they had him in a corner turn suddenly sour as they realise they were the ones cornered were always so exciting. And this was no exception. The man was drawing a transmutation circle in the dirt in order to trap him without letting on at all. 

Hn, the guy was good, he'd give him that.

The circle was almost complete, just one more line to make. That was when Derry jumped up high and landed outside the circle right next to the passenger side door and opened it.

"Lavender dear go close the back doors for me." The purple eyed little girl moved obediently, climbing over the backs of the seats to get to the rear of the vehicle. The slamming of van doors echoed loudly in the cavern. She then found her seat again and sat quietly.

Roy stood up from his crouched finished position and moved to charge forward but Derry reached into the cabin and dragged Riza's prone form out of the van. Roy froze.

"I wouldn't if I were you." The man didn't even sound out of breath where as Roy was completely exhausted.

"I won't hesitate in killing her…"

* * *

The screech of tyres echoed loudly in the cavern and the smell of burning rubber filled every nook and cranny. Several pairs of eyes looked up from their respective battles and watched as the van they'd been loading or trying to stop careened out of the cave and down a tunnel nobody had noticed before. 

Then someone turned the lights back on…

Completely abandoned now, the thugs gave up, some more quietly than others. And it was then that his team found him, cradling Riza's unconscious form on the floor, berating himself for letting them get away… and taking Edward with them.

"Sir…" Coal black eyes opened darkly. A deep anger swelled from inside. Derry had just made himself Enemy No. 1 on The Flame Alchemist's 'To Kill' list.

"Pei… ling? Pei-ling? Sir is that where they're taking him? To Pei-Ling?" His eye's snapped up to Fuery who was reading a piece of paper. The small man glanced over at his CO before answering the unasked question. "It was in Lt Hawkeye's hand." He handed the note over to Roy who grudgingly relinquished his hold on Riza. Medical uniforms lunged into action as his attention glued itself to the note in his hands. It was humming with alchemical energy.

Edward had left a breadcrumb.


	7. Ch6 Of Searches and Failures

**Behind Closed Doors**

**Summary:** Children have been disappearing all over Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)

**Warnings:** Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… and slight possibility of Male x Male implications…

**Authors Note:** Ok Thanks to everyone who expressed their lovely opinions in the form of a review! But you shouldn't have… Really; My head is way too big as it is without your awesome ego boosts! Hehe. Well to make up for such a short chapter last time I'm updating earlier than planned. No I don't have a schedule really but it sounded good anyway… tee hee.

Oh! And FYI; Pei-Ling is a made up country and doesn't really exist in the world of FMA; 'tis my own creation.

Anyways Enjoy!

P.S! A few updates have been made to this chapter... the big USTO leader is no longer called 'The Boss' because that's what Havoc, Breda and Fuery call Edward, I got confused myself with this so all has been changed... also I changed the 'we' to 'I' in Riza's statement at the end of 'Section 3'... You'll see why next chapter...

* * *

**Ch6; Of Searches and Failures…**

The train station was packed for some reason. Parents stood around the platform waiting for their trains while trying to entertain their bored and moody children, bags and belongings strewn around their respective owners. The din was enough to stir one crazy what with the hissing of steam from the engines and the whistles that always accompanied a train station anyway.

Alphonse winced as he exited the carriage carrying his little son as he went. The boy was sleeping peacefully on his shoulder as though the station was as quiet as his crib come bedtime. That was definitely an 'Edward-trait'; being able to sleep through such a racket… It was little traits like this that earned him the nickname Ed Jr. and ever since it just stuck. The boy was so much like his uncle it was weird; he was outgoing, adventurous, curious and investigative in the most dangerous possible way. He even resembled the older boy too; golden locks of hair, that childish cheeky grin, the handsome innocent smile… But what was even scarier were his eyes; they were a brilliant golden brown which, when in the right light, looked so much like Edward's it was uncanny. The trio often joked about who's son the kid really was…

"We must be the only family with children coming _in_ to Central City." Winry noted as she hefted her small suitcase off the carriage behind her. Alphonse shifted the weight of the changing bag on his other shoulder as he bent down to pick up the handle of his holdall. Worry etched his brow as he thought of his brother.

"Yeah, but something seems off. There's a lot of pent up panic in the air." Indeed the atmosphere was thick with tension but considering the news from last night, this should be the opposite reaction. His brother was like a hero figure; after having 'returned' from the dead, successfully performing a human transmutation on none other than his little brother and then saving the world from another world's hatred and violence before returning a few years later through a portal that defies all logic, you'd think the people would have more faith in the boy. So this was the reasoning Alphonse had surmised for there being a problem that they were unaware of. And he could probably bet his life that his brother was right in the middle of it.

"Al, could you hold onto this, I need to use the Ladies room." He gave her a smile and nodded before placing his holdall on the floor next to him and gently swapping his little boy onto his other shoulder; the kid was getting heavy. Winry left her suitcase by his side and disappeared into the Women's Toilet. It was atleast 20 minutes before he saw her again, a scared look upon her face. Something was wrong.

Instantly, Alphonse was by her side asking if she was ok, and what had happened. For a moment she couldn't speak but when she did, his heart all but leapt out of his chest. She looked up fearfully into his eyes, tears brimming and threatening to fall at a moments notice. The look she gave him told him exactly who she thinking of and her next words sent ice-cold tentacles down his spine; spikes of fear finding root in his gut.

"He's gone…"

* * *

Pei-Ling; 'City of Freedom'… and hefty prices. And what a busy, upstate, snooty place it was. That was a problem for Col. Roy Mustang; he _hated_ snootiness with a passion. The other problem was its sheer size; an entire city enclosed in a large bowl beneath a breathtaking mountain range with large walls protecting its open face from invasion or intruders and inner walls separating different districts and societies. It was built like a fortress.

A fortress with many hiding holes and shadows to disappear into… Finding Edward in here would be hard but not impossible.

Oh yes, Roy Mustang had several debtors in this city and he was ready to cash in. He'd already visited two of them; one couldn't provide anything while the other informed him of a highly decorated General who might know something about the Underground Secret Trade Organisation, more commonly known as the USTO. Of course this General was also one of Roy's debtors. Things were looking up for the moment, but Fate always played a cruel game.

His smirk faded. Those were Edward's words. Words like those seemed to hang around in people's minds and soon enough they find themselves using the phrases themselves; like now. A frown found his brow as he sat in the coach, on his way to see this General. It was very possible that he'd never see Edward alive again now. He had to stay indifferent about it but try as he might, he just couldn't stop worrying. The boy was part of his little family now, how could he just keep a straight face and continue on as though nothing had happened?

He couldn't. That was why he was here…

* * *

Alphonse stormed into the Military Headquarters with a force that even Maj. Armstrong couldn't compete with (_see end of chapter_). All inhabitants knew instantly who it was; they'd been expecting this for a few hours now but still managed to wince away from the glowering Earth-Moving Alchemist.

"Where is he?" His voice was barely a whisper. He didn't trust himself just yet to say anything any louder, trying to so desperately to keep his emotions in check. It was a lost battle to begin with.

"Al…" Riza tried as she stepped forward but Alphonse flipped.

"Where is he?!" His yell was agonisingly painful to hear. Her heart almost leapt out of her throat; He crumbled to the floor in a heap of sobs. She could only guess the torment that was running through the young boy's head.

"Al, we tried to get him back, I'm sorry…" She tried to calm him down, tried defending their actions but the boy was not so forgiving when upset like he was. His head snapped up at breakneck speed and his scowl managed to freeze everyone in the room. His eyes were streaming, his face red and his expression like that of someone who'd just lost everything he held dear to him all at once.

"'Sorry' won't bring him back! 'Sorry' won't find him safe and alive! 'Sorry' only means you've made a mistake!" His words were true and they hit each and every person in the building like a ten tonne boulder. "I'm going to find him and if I don't, that bastard Colonel better pray something else finds him before I do!" He meant it. He meant every word and made sure they knew it before storming out of the building and disappearing down the street.

"Riza, are you ok?" Her vision doubled, she was still feeling woozy from her battering in the cavern ad swayed on the spot just as Jean (**Havoc**) steadied her. He led her to her seat while Heymans (**Breda**) fetched a glass of water.

"Gods Havoc, I screwed up big this time…"

* * *

The Underground Secret Trade Organisation (USTO) was the safest bet to get away scot free. But it didn't come cheap. Everyone had a unique payment to make dependant upon why they were wanted and where they needed to go. From these two bits of information the USTO Members could calculate the amount of protection and effort that would be needed to counteract the measures the pursuers of their client and the fuel, transportation and border affairs their client might face while under their protection. And then there were options for the client to make; 'Unprotected' cover, 'Limited Protection' cover or 'Complete Protection' cover.

'Unprotected' meant the client would take care of himself and the USTO need only cover his tracks until he was out of the country, any transportation was up to the client to sort. 'Limited Protection' meant the client would receive a handful of bodyguards who'd help him across the maximum of three borders. Then there was 'Complete Protection' and as one would guess it was maximum security for the client until he reached his destination safe and sound.

Of course Derry had an agreement all of his own. He knew the owner of the USTO and was very good friends with him, so if he needed to get away it was maximum security at all times with no added costs except for a few labourers here or there. It wasn't _what_ you knew these days it was _who_ you knew.

"Derry! What brings you here so early? You can't be finished already?" _Speak of the devil._ Derry turned, a look of forced cheer on his face making his annoyance noticeable. "Oh dear, my friend you look most upset. What happened?" The big man put a hand round his shoulders and led the man to the couch in his office.

"The damn military is what happened, and my daughter finding something expensive again." He replied taking the glass tumbler of whiskey from the guy and drinking a large gulp to help soothe his nerves. The military wasn't the only thing annoying him; the damn kid had woken up not long ago and was creating havoc. _Five_ escape attempts in the space of half an hour. Tricky little sod, he was out now though with a few new bruises to boot.

"Oh? So the rumours are true? You found something _expensive_?" The fat man sat down opposite him and swirled his tumbler casually in his large beefy hand. Derry sighed; the rumours were moving faster these days.

"Yes, I've managed to do the impossible it seems." At this the large man sat up and paid more attention. "It seems the hunter has become the hunted and the caught." Derry left it hanging for as long as possible before the big man became impatient.

"Well man come on what did you catch?!" Both men smiled evilly, one in anticipation, the other in suspense. Then Derry spoke;

"I, my friend, managed to catch me a Fullmetal Alchemist." And the shocked face was well worth it. He could feel his spirits lifting already, his friend always knew how to cheer him up even if he didn't know he was doing it.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist? I don't believe it!" The big man had gone completely still.

"Heh, believe it. He's more trouble than he's worth!" The man suddenly locked eyes with him, a determined snarl on his face. Derry frowned.

"Where is he? I owe him a few debts." A few debts? So this kid had pissed off his friend too. Who hadn't he pissed off?! And in the mood he was in just then, he'd feel better too if he saw the kid take a few rounds, but then his goods would be damaged and he'd have to take the time to fix him up again before he could sell the bastard.

He took a sip of his whiskey in deep thought. Then again, the boy was worth a lot of money and he could see that an early sale might find him less of what he was actually worth. Maybe a few rounds with the big guy's boys would do him and the kid some form of good… or bad depending on which way you looked at it.

"Sector C, holding base 53, heavily guarded and heavily sedated. He's tried five escape attempts already and three groups have tried stealing him away." He growled at the memory. "Caught one guy red handed about to rape the boy in his sleep. I don't sell used goods; that's just my policy otherwise I wouldn't have stopped the bugger. I'm not taking any chances." The big man grunted in agreement. His mood had soured dramatically. Derry couldn't blame him; a repeat offender was locked away in his territory and he was just a few paces away from exacting revenge, he'd be sour too.

"Will you allow me to repay him for his… efforts." The fat man also had a policy; he wouldn't touch that which he was transporting and protecting on behalf of his clients. But the mere thought of having a hated enemy on his grounds in such a vulnerable state… it was just too tantalisingly tempting. Derry smiled, revenge was a dish best served cold and brutal, and his lower ribs were still throbbing from the kick back in Central City.

Maybe a few rounds would ease him up for the long journey home…

"Be as generous as you feel, my friend…"

* * *

(_**End of Chapter**_) _Grief and sudden loss will do numerous things to different people and in my quest to make this as real as possible without deferring too much from the Anime series, I have made it so that Alphonse exerts his emotions in a manner that would normally suit his older brother Edward. Subconsciously this helps him deal with the loss and at the same time motivates him to find his brother too._


	8. Ch7 Of Brothers and Losses

**Behind Closed Doors**

**Summary:** Children have been disappearing all over Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)

**Warnings:** Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… and slight possibility of Male x Male implications…

**Authors Note:** (_Sniffles)_ Writing this chapter brought tears to my eyes! Hope I don't make you cry too! I suggest you find a box of tissues before you read any further… (_Sniffs)_ Poor Al…

_(Cries again…)

* * *

_

**Ch7; Of Brothers and Losses…**

"_Gone…"_

He clasped his hands around his head.

"_He's gone…"_

His fingers tangled in his hair, squeezing tightly.

"_He was… taken… by them…"_

Tears collected at the corner of his eyes, threatening to spill over the rim.

"_They have him…" _

He squeezed his eyes shut, his tears finding their boundaries and flowing over them, tumbling down his face, his whole body shaking.

"_They have Edward…"_

They had his brother…

"Iyah!" The cry came out all strangled and odd, the lump in his throat unwilling to let sound come out properly. He doubled over wrapping his arms around his torso and squeezing himself into a foetal position, feeling suddenly very alone and lost. "Nii-San!" He was his rock, his anchor; the one and only person he could truly feel safe with…the last of his family and he was _gone_. It was like losing his mother all over again…

A pair of warm hands gently wrapped around his chest, snaking their way past his tensed muscles. A body pressed up against his back and pulled him close.

Winry.

He welcomed the embrace; seeking comfort from the only other person he would honour with the sacred name of family. She was as much his sister as she was his best friend and loving wife.

He held onto her arms drawing in her presence to fight off the pain in his chest, to fill the hole that his brother had occupied for so long… he broke down in her arms.

"NII-SAN…"

* * *

"Roy, my boy what brings you here?" the old man had answered the door himself and quickly ushered the young man inside leading him to the sitting room and pouring him a tumbler of old port before settling down himself.

"Well it's a business visit actually, I'm looking for someone. Have you heard any news of a boy called Edward Elric?" Roy cut right to the chase watching the man intently, his eyes flashing with hope and the urgent need for a breakthrough. The old man sat down and frowned. He could tell the boy was of importance to the Colonel but to be honest he was getting on a bit and his memory needed a few minutes to recall certain names and faces.

"Edward Elric you say?" The old man sat back, finding a comfortable position to think in. Roy sat rigid in his seat, watching the old man like a hawk. "I do recognise that name from somewhere… let me think for a second I'm sure it'll come to me." Roy's eyebrow twitched. He was on edge and ready to try somewhere else if the old man couldn't help, this was visible even to the blind which was why the old General wanted to help even more.

"If you don't know Sir it's quite alright, I'll look somewhere else." He'd already decided the old General didn't know anything, the guy was senile. The General saw this but made no response. Roy was just about to stand and presume he'd already been forgotten when the old man spoke up.

"Say, he wouldn't be Hoenheim's little boy would he?" Shocked coal eyes looked up into bright sapphire eyes and the knowing glint behind them intensified. Hope renewed itself within the dark haired Colonel.

"You know Hoenheim Elric?" He asked, his interest showing though. The General smiled kindly at him, showing his age.

"I think 'knew' is the word we're looking for here. Yes I knew Hoenheim, used to bring little Edward with him when he visited a few times, heard he had another boy too; Allan was it? … No, Alfie?" Roy harrumphed before correcting the old man.

"Alphonse."

"Ah! Yes Alphonse. Not as gifted as Edward, but quite the whippersnapper." The old retired General sat back in his high backed seat and rested his hands on his chest, feeling rather proud at having remembered a few old faces from long ago. "I say, how is the boy anyway? He never comes to visit anymore. He must be 18 or 19 now right? Come on man, say something of the boy. An old man can't wait forever." Roy froze, hesitant to answer the man's questions even if he could push sound past the lump in his throat. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Is he ok?" Roy carefully looked up to face the old General with a Colonel's dignity.

"He was abducted last night. I'm sorry, I tried to stop them, but I was too late… He's gone."

* * *

Derry opened up the steel holding doors, wincing at the loud squealing creaks that sounded, and let the fat man step inside. A light flicked on and the large man suddenly found himself face to face with a pale face framed with golden blond hair. The boy was strung up like a marionette on chains that hung from the ceiling of the holding cabin while his legs dangled freely just above the straw on the floor. He was out like a light, just as Derry had said he would be. The fat man frowned… the kid was familiar.

"Well this is disappointing, somehow I imagined him a little… bigger." He said, successfully hiding his puzzlement with a different excuse. Derry grunted in agreement, he hadn't believed it himself but when he saw those eyes he just knew. He'd read many newspapers and magazines where witnesses had described the Fullmetal Alchemist with golden eyes like those of a cat; a most unusual colour which just so happened to compliment his hair greatly. Many people had speculated as to why the Fullmetal Alchemist had such peculiar eye colouring and whether it was a way to enhance his power and other such foddle. Derry didn't know and didn't care. He was just after the money the kid was going to earn him.

He let the big man inspect the boy some more, watching as he tested the boy's muscular form and aesthetic symmetry. It wasn't until the large man lifted the lids of the boy's eyes that he spoke again.

"My, my, such vivid colour." A cruel smirk found his unfortunate features. "Watching those eyes change will be fun..." He stepped back from the boy allowing three of Derry's own men to wake the boy up with a counter drug. It wouldn't be fun if the boy was asleep during the entire time he was being beaten now would it?

Mere minutes later two bleary golden eyes opened carefully, not yet registering anything. A small groan escaped the kid's lips and the cruel smirks on the two men in front of him grew. The big man rounded his fist and adjusted his large rings in order to create as much damage as he possibly could.

"Payback's a bitch…" He muttered before sending his heavily armed fist toward the unsuspecting teen at high speed…

The following _crack_ could be heard for miles.

* * *

"General, Sir I - " Colonel Mustang began but the old man held up his weathered hand to stop him.

"Colonel, please. I haven't been a General for three years; give a retired old man some dignity. Call me Victor; it is my name after all." Roy felt chastised but quickly recovered and felt the need to repay the favour.

"Only, Sir, if you call me by mine." The old man smiled and chuckled half heartedly. The atmosphere had damped dramatically since the news of Edward's disappearance in the household. It was unexpected but not unsympathised by the young Colonel.

"Victor, Sir, I've come here to ask you about the Underground Secret Trade Organisation otherwise known - " He began, thinking of no other way to get out of the awkward situation than the direct approach but the General seemed to know what he was talking about.

"Otherwise known as the USTO yes I have heard of it. I spent a good part of my life investigating it and I got quite far until the higher ups enforced my retirement. That side of the story had been quiet for some time until last week." This perked Roy's attention and the General took that as a hint to continue. "A friend came by and as time went on our conversation turned to that of the USTO. Apparently the original Boss had been captured by a young alchemist not very long ago but his son took over the business and relocated. I believe the man's name was Sir Freiderick Rancheros of the Rancheros family. Had three sons, two of which are now dead and the third now immensely rich but sour at his father's capture. Hans I think his name was. Yes, Hans Rancheros. That's the person you're looking for."

"Rancheros; sounds familiar." The dark haired man frowned in thought. He'd definitely heard that name before but from where? He couldn't think.

"It should do. You're the Colonel with that famous Fullmetal man aren't you?" Roy looked up a little confused at the man's statement before the truth of the matter revealed itself. It seemed the old man didn't know that Edward Elric and the Fullmetal Alchemist were one and the same. It wasn't that much of a surprise really; Pei-Ling didn't associate that much with the world outside its borders. It was a wonder Roy was actually allowed to enter at all considering the jurisdiction rights over such a case. But the higher ups in Pei-Ling knew who he was and how he was connected to the missing Alchemist. They were also considerate enough to keep it on the low so as not to scare off the people he was tracking down.

Besides, one of the Pei-Ling officials was a debtor too.

"I am." He said cautiously, thinking it would be better if Edward told the man this bit of information… if he could find him in time that is.

"Well then you should know that name very well. You sent him on the mission to find and arrest the man. From what I hear the man did a good job about it too. Freiderick was captured and imprisoned within two weeks where it took me two years to track down the name of the guy." All of a sudden the case came back and hit him in the head. Of course! He remembered the mission and how Edward had thwarted the man with ease; cornering the guy in his own building with his own words and his own tactics. The boy had been a valuable asset on that case and had closed it quickly too. But that just opened up another case it seemed. So why wasn't Central aware of the USTO still running or how the son of Freiderick Rancheros had taken over and was now illegally transporting and hiding illegal goods… including his subordinate?! This needed looking into for more reasons than Edward's case but right now his subordinate needed rescuing.

"Can you tell me where this USTO might be or is there anyone who can help me find them?"

"You think Edward's abductor will use the USTO?" Roy nodded… a pause. "Do you have a team of men at your disposal?" again the Colonel nodded; his eyes dark while the man paused in thought again. "Then I can take you there myself." Roy's eyes flew up to meet those of the old man's with surprise. The questions were written all over the young man's face and the General smiled kindly.

"Colonel Mustang, I was forced to retire when I was on the verge of a breakthrough. It was an unfair dismissal and I have never forgiven the military for that. I was the best in my field and they knew it. That alone told me that the military was corrupted." He paused letting the young man process that information but before Roy could ask the next question, the old man answered it. "I could trust no one Colonel. I'm old and not as quick as I used to be. If I wanted these people brought to justice I'd have to pass my knowledge to someone I could trust to take my place and end this trivial nonsense and get Amestris back to how she should be." Roy swallowed hard. Someone had known, long before he was even remotely suspicious, that the Military had been corrupt.

"Gather your men Colonel. This old General wants one more piece of the action before he's forgotten completely." Roy slid a small smile onto his lips. Perhaps a word or two with the new Fuehrer would put this old man where he wants to be? Who knew?

He stood and mock saluted with a new hopeful smile.

"Yes Sir."


	9. Ch 8 Of Regrets and New Vows

**Behind Closed Doors**

**Summary:** Children have been disappearing all over Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)

**Warnings:** Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… and slight possibility of Male x Male implications…

**Authors Note:** Well, Ed's in trouble, Al's in tears, Roy's stuck down memory lane and the enemy are getting away with our favourite Alchemist scot free… is this fic twisted or what?

Yeah, yeah ok it's not the fic that's twisted it the author… but hey, that's why ya love me!

_(Crickets chirp) _

o.o' … heh, heh…

_(Rapid change of subject!)_

On with the fic!

* * *

**Ch8; Of Regrets and New Vows**

The office was quiet; a heavy sting hanging in the air as the tension around grew thick and consuming. It wasn't their fault right? What could they have done? They stuck to the plan that Colonel Mustang had set up. It was flawless… but Edward was gone.

It didn't make sense! It shouldn't have happened! Where did it go wrong?! How did they get away?!

Three pairs of eyes nervously found Riza's miserable form hanging over her desk looking as guilty as she felt. It was her fault and everyone knew it but no one was going to point it out. She knew she was to blame and nothing more needed to be said. She made the decision and underestimated the situation and now Edward was missing because of her…

"… '_Sorry' only means you've made a mistake!"_

"You really think the Boss'll be alright?" The question had been asked before but back then, they were only a few meters away from their wayward friend and it hadn't seemed so ominous and final. They also had Colonel Mustang there to reassure them that everything would be ok. But now it seemed the finality of the situation was weighing heavy.

Nobody answered the question. Nobody could.

_Ring, Ring… _The sudden shrill bell of the old Crosley CR-93 Sultan (_see end of chapter)_ shattered the heavy silence and startled everyone out of their respective reveries. Riza's phone seemed to vibrate on the table top causing her to start and stare at it as though it would bite her if she touched it.

_Ring, Ring…_ Shakily, with red rimmed eyes, she reached out. She took a breath to try and calm herself down. She wasn't normally this emotional at work, but then she wasn't usually the one who screwed up and lost a good friend to a blind move of compassion for the enemy who had him. Who knew what they were doing to him now…

_Ring, Ri-_ "Central City State Military, Investigations dept, Lt. Hawkeye speaking…" Her voice was as professional as ever but her face was wrinkled with worry.

"Riza, I need you and the boys in Pei-Ling right away, I've got a lead." Colonel Mustang's voice was sharp and clipped. But it still didn't stop the sudden hope that rose inside her. Riza sobered her feelings instantly.

"That's great Sir! We'll be there in a few hours." She replied curtly and optimistically. She was sick of waiting anyway. Waiting was always the hardest part of a missing person's case… that and the not knowing.

"Good… " There was a pause… "Um… has Al… has anyone…" Riza knew what he was asking and was reluctant to relive the incident again. She took a deep breath to fight off the despair.

"Alphonse found out at the station, Sir. He… didn't take it too well." It was too late, the images came unbidden.

"_Where is he?" His voice was barely a whisper. He didn't trust himself just yet to say anything any louder, trying to so desperately to keep his emotions in check. It was a lost battle to begin with. _

"_Al…" Riza tried as she stepped forward but Alphonse flipped and crumbled to the floor in a heap of sobs._

"_Where Is He?!" _

"Damn…" Roy's voice brought her back to the land of the living with a thud. "Ok find him. If these guys are good they'll target him next, I want him where I can see him. This is going to be big." Her heart skipped a beat. Find him? Would she be able to? Would he want to see her? She closed her eyes and inwardly screamed at herself; get a grip Riza, your Commanding Officer just gave you an order!

"Yes Sir!" She replied after much delay. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Don't worry Riza, it wasn't your fault. We'll find him." And she was reminded again why she was in love with the guy. Colonel Roy Mustang always knew what was being thought and how to approach the situation.

"Yes Sir." She replied more quietly this time.

"I'm at General Victor Heston's place, Pei-Ling City. Rendezvous at 2000 hrs." She gave a nod but he'd hung up already. The office went quiet again.

Slowly, she put the receiver back on its hook and gave a heart shuddering sigh. All eyes were shamelessly on her as they impatiently, but silently, waited for the news that she was steeling herself to say.

A lifetime seemed to pass by… before;

"We have a lead."

* * *

_Crack!_

The sickening sound echoed loudly in the metal chamber, all who were present winced and looked away. A snarl formed on the USTO Leader's features. He had to admit it; the kid was good.

He stared hard at the wall where his fist had made contact; a dent had moulded itself around his fat fist. He hadn't expected the kid to jump out of the way and dodge his attack let alone have the initiative to then use his forward momentum to kick out and push him to the back of the metal cell.

"I see what you mean Derry, is he worth the price you've set or will the prospective buyers think him too much of a nuisance and not worth the buy?" he asked as he pulled his fist free. He turned and addressed Derry, completely ignoring the blond teen. "You could sell tickets instead or even hits. One punch for 150,000, a kick for 170,000… though if he pulls a stunt like that I can see your insurance bills tripling…" The fat man frowned at that.

"Hmmm… at first I was thinking the same thing, but then I have just recently sold 200 labourers…" Derry saw the kid's eyes widen as the boy let his mouth gape behind the gag. He smirked before continuing. "And made a small fortune that I feel I can part with, especially when the estimated figure for his hide is unthinkable." Golden eyes met furiously with black beads, the promise of pain and suffering did not go unnoticed by both parties. "And to be honest I want his ugly mug out of my hair as soon as possible, he's cost me enough already."

"What do you plan to do?" The large man asked as he turned to scowl at the boy, a cold calculating look in his eyes.

"I think a few sessions with Dr Govan ought to put him in his place." At this the scowl turned into a manic evil grin. The kid wouldn't know what hit him…

Winry watched silently as the younger Elric strode around the room packing and muttering to himself in a fashion that seemed to suit his brother rather than the calm boy she'd eternally committed herself to. Alphonse was in agony. She could see it.

Edward had been the only stable thing in his life ever since before their father left. He was there after their mother died, he was there after their failed transmutation, and he was there after the burning of their own home and all throughout their travels together. He was, for all intents and purposes, his rock. Winry remembered he'd been bad when Edward had disappeared through the gate a few years ago, but then he hadn't remembered much about their travels together and by the time he did regain his memories Edward was back in Amestris fighting off the evil invaders from the other world. It wasn't as bad then…

But just knowing that someone you love was in the hands of a serial kidnapper… knowing they were at the enemy's mercy…

Tears began to fall once again and she slid down the door frame she was leaning against. She had complete faith that they'd find him but the thought of what they were doing to him…she sobbed a little harder. As expected, Alphonse noticed and stopped packing to kneel down next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and eventually crying with her.

Their rock was gone and now they were just drifting along…

_Knock, Knock!_ Both heads shot up and eyed the door warily. Silence filled the room with its ominous presence. Alphonse sat rigid and glared at the door, knowing who was behind it, with no intentions of opening it.

_Knock, Knock! _Winry sighed and sniffled as she wiped at her eyes before standing to answer the door. Alphonse gripped her hand as she made to move away; the message pleading her to leave it. She looked down at him but he had closed his eyes trying to squeeze away the remaining tears that were lingering. She squeezed back telling him it would be ok…

"We'll find him Al…" She assured him, "But we can't do this alone." She waited with bated breath as the boy sat silent for a good few seconds. He was confused and lonely and it hurt to have to trust the people who'd lost his brother to begin with, but… to be honest, there was no one else he'd entrust his brother's case to than those of Colonel Mustang's team.

He gave a shuddering sigh before releasing Winry's hand…

"I know…"

* * *

Roy turned to the aging man as he put the phone back onto its hook. 

"They'll be here by eight o'clock, before that I want to stake out the place, get a feel for where I'll be and what I'm working with. Do you have any blueprints of the place?" The old man gave a smile, glad to have found someone who could finally help end this case.

"Stake outs I can arrange, I still have my informants Colonel, but blueprints? I do have some but they're a bit dated I'm afraid." He gave a thoughtful pause before addressing the colonel again. "I can go one better though…" he paused again, making sure he had the younger man's attention. "I have an informant who can get you inside and guide you to where you'll want to be…a very good spy and also a good fighter too, you won't have to worry about protecting anyone." The Colonel gave a frown.

"Can you trust him?" He asked, not happy with having to rely on a stranger for guidance and information on such a high risk – high loss mission. Too many things could go wrong. Too many people could get hurt or disappear for good. He didn't want to take any unnecessary risks if he could help it.

The old General gave a confident nod. "He's a she, Colonel and I trust her like I would my own daughter…" The old General smiled with a secretive twinkle in his eye and Roy found himself smiling also. "Come, I'd like you to meet her, she's in the conservatory." Roy obligingly followed, a thoughtful frown wrinkling his brow as he strode after the old man.

"Katrina dear, I have someone who's interested in your services." The old man led him to another room that housed hundreds of strange plants and foliage. Roy didn't want to know what some of the plants were for considering their ominous appearances, nothing good he could guess. His gaze lingered on a rather spiky looking purple stump before cringing at his thoughts and turning away.

"Colonel, I'd like you to meet Katrina, the spy I was telling you about and… my lovely daughter." Roy's gaze found hers. His breath all but stopped in his throat as his heart sped up to speeds unimaginable; though this didn't show on the outside. Being the coy womanizer that he was, he instantly turned on the charm and gave a winsome smile before locking her eyes with his. She smiled back flirtatiously before extending her hand to greet him. He took it gently and gave a gentlemanly bow before speaking.

"A pleasure Miss Katrina." A pink flush found her cheeks as she smiled back at him courteously before replying.

"And to you Colonel. How do you like my sanctuary?" She asked removing her hand from his. She swung her body, gesturing at the room they were standing in; her mid-length blond hair followed her body's movements in the low plait that it had been braided into…and Roy froze. A flash of gold found his gaze and a smug smirk grinned at him from somewhere in the depths of his mind. Before he could react, an image of Edward replaced the vision of beauty before him…

His thoughts came to a sudden halt; Edward…

"Katrina, Colonel Mustang here needs your help." The old man had seen the sudden pain in the man's eyes and moved to intercept the questions that could have followed. "One of his subordinates has been captured by the enemy. We have reason to believe that he now resides somewhere within the USTO HQ." he gave his daughter a stern look. "He has come seeking a guide and an extra fighter."

The young woman stared back before turning her bright blue gaze to the Colonel who was still deep in his own mind somewhere. She scrutinised him a little longer, taking advantage of the fact that his mind was elsewhere for now. She could read him like a book…

He blamed himself for what happened, and he felt he owed the missing comrade in someway… or was he trying to protect someone else aswell? She couldn't tell but she knew one thing… he was in pain. And not the physical type either; it was more like that of a heart wound, one that keeps stabbing at him from inside causing him to feel guilt, loneliness and sorrow in the worst possible ways.

She made her decision. She'd help this man.

"When do we leave?" She asked succinctly. Both Father and Daughter turned to the young Colonel waiting for his response. Cold dark eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Tonight."

* * *

_(End of chapter) Crosley CR-93 Sultan – an old style phone. Image search on MSN for a picture of what this looks like._


	10. Ch9 Of Moles and Foxes

**Behind Closed Doors**

**Summary:** Children have been disappearing all over Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)

**Warnings:** Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… and slight possibility of Male x Male implications…

**Authors Note:** Second from last chapter now… o.o _(dives behind couch as rotten fruit and vegetables are thrown at her) _I'm sorry! But it has to end soon! There is a reason for it I swear!!! _(Rotten fruit and vegetables slowly stop coming at her)_ Trust me guys, there is a plan and reason but you'll have to wait and see… have faith in the author!!!

Besides, if you don't read on you'll never find out what happens next…

* * *

**Ch9; Of Moles and Foxes…**

They were ready. It'd taken an hour to get to Pei-Ling and rendezvous with Colonel Mustang and a further 45 minutes to go through the plans that Roy, Victor and Katrina had already mapped out before they'd arrived. After a few discussions and several surveillance reports they were finally ready to go in and bring back their missing comrade.

Alphonse frowned. If he had his way, he'd be in and out already with no one any wiser. But as confident as that sounded, he knew there were far too many variables to consider and he was just one boy against who knew how many enemies. That, and if these people could take down his brother… what hope did he have? He needed help with this and the only person he could trust his brother's life to was Colonel Mustang and his team.

He wasn't angry with them he realised; he was just angry at the whole situation, they were doing their best as the situation worsened to a point where nothing could go right. _Or so he found out after he was briefed on the train ride to Pei-Ling. _

"All teams report; Team 2, status." He'd never worked in a team like this before but he was assured he'd be alright just as long as he didn't leave Roy's side. There was no way to describe it either; the atmosphere was tense and foreboding but exciting at the same time. He could hear his own heart beating loudly in his ears while his chest struggled to remain calm.

"Team 2 in position, awaiting command." Riza's voice came through the ear piece loud and clear with a crisp response. Roy quickly moved on through the teams, confirming their status and positions before turning to his own team; Team 1.

"Everyone ready?" Alphonse gave a determined nod. He was more than ready to bring his brother back to where he's supposed to be.

"Ok Team 3 you have a go! Move out! Team 2 Wait for their signal, all teams are go!"

Finally, they were doing something…

* * *

Pain seemed to be his new best friend, and a clingy one at that. With no means of fighting back now or even dodging the attacks, he was forced into taking hit after mind blowing hit. His feet, although were hanging just above the filthy straw, were chained in place and secured to a ring in the floor leaving him no room to move.

"He's a stubborn one, I'll give him that." The fat USTO leader commented just as one goon hit a particularly vulnerable area that caused the blond to wince and gasp. "I can't see those pretty eyes changing anytime today…" The Derry guy grunted before agreeing.

"I suppose…" The man gave a sigh. "Dr Govan might become a rich man after this case. But I'm out of options here. If I continue, he'll die and although he's still worth something dead, he's worth a lot more alive and in one piece." He gave the boy a disgusted look before turning back to his friend.

"Well, if push comes to shove, I know a few sick bastards who'd love to play with his dead carcass. Creepy buggers but they'd pay… to them there's more satisfaction in a dead guy than the living." The fat man gave the boy a strange look, as though imagining him a little more dead and how the 'sick bastards' might see him. He cringed a little before smiling as an afterthought.

"Well I guess if I get no luck in the living department I might take you up on that off-"

KaBOOM!

For a few seconds, the entire world was a blur of smoke, wind and a high volume of noise before the deafening rumble subsided leaving in its wake confusion, panic and a few bruises.

Something had just exploded.

Edward could feel the shockwaves travelling up through the chains that secured his feet to the concrete floor. Vibrations seemed to travel all over his body, adding to the discomfort he was already feeling no thanks to the four goons piled on top of each other before him.

Another explosion, louder this time, sent dust and random shrapnel into the metal containment room along with a searing wall of heat, causing all but Edward to duck out of the way. It hurt like a bitch…

"What the bloody hell is going on! Who the fuck is blowing up my building!" The fat man was up and on his feet in seconds, his two goons following instantly leaving Derry and his two men to look around wildly. Then Derry's eyes met Edwards. The boy was smirking behind the gag. There was only one man that he knew who could blow up an entire building like that without severely hurting anyone.

"Don't think for a second that you're saved boy. He may have found you but I have a surprise for him…" He stood up slowly; weary of another explosion before walking drunkenly toward the boy, his hand in his pocket grappling for something inside. "But you won't get to see his grand finale…" He pulled out a syringe and gripped the boy's restraints for balance before plunging the needle deep into the tender muscle of his upper arm. He struggled but it was too late, the drug was in his system. His eyes fluttered, his muscles fell lax. "…Nighty Night pretty boy."

And darkness flooded his mind…

* * *

Alphonse ducked down behind the vehicle he'd spotted seconds before the second explosion hit its intended target. He cried out pitifully at the noise and heat. Everything was overwhelming him completely. It'd been easier when he was a tin man; he couldn't feel the strong shockwaves or the searing heat that came with every explosion, but now every tiny vibration found his over sensitive nerves and rattled them until he could take no more. He thought he'd be over this hypersensitiveness already but it seemed he was nowhere near ready for combat in this sense.

A third explosion shook the ground underneath him and he cried out in a blind panic as the car he was hiding behind rocked dangerously. He wasn't trained for this sort of thing! How the hell did his brother cope?!

And then all thoughts stopped.

Edward _had_ coped. He'd been through hell and back to get Alphonse back in his body. He'd literally sacrificed hand and limb to right the wrong that had almost cost them both. He'd done so much for the pathetic little boy who had crawled under the first rock he saw at the sign of danger…

A frown found his brow. _'If Nii-san can do it, so can I…'_ Shakily, he stood and pushed his fear down into the deep recesses of his mind. _'Nii-san is counting on me…'_ He closed his eyes briefly in order to block out his surroundings and calm himself down. He took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes; determination fuelled his will power and he turned and ran straight through the burning flames and into a rather plush looking corridor. He looked back into the warehouse where he'd lost Roy minutes before the first explosion and wondered if he was doing the right thing. Roy would be pissed at him for running off but in all fairness it was Roy who'd caused the first explosion and it was the return fire that had exploded the oil tanker sat next to them.

He'd understand. Now all he had to do was figure out where his brother was being held before the enemy decided he wasn't worth keeping alive. His eyes narrowed at that thought. If anyone dared to touch his brother like that, they weren't going to live long enough to regret it.

And that was a promise.

* * *

_Ratatatatatatatatat… ratatatatat…_

Roy ducked behind the large wooden crates as the tirade of bullets flew at him from the other end of the warehouse. Gods it was never ending! He waited endlessly for an opening then took the first sign of silence to counterattack and gain him some level footing.

Flick, step, _snap… _BOOM! His targets went down in a blazing glory while the others had reloaded and were taking aim once more.

_Ratatatatatatat… Ratatatatatatat… Ratatatatatatatatat. _He dived behind the wooden crates again barely avoiding a scratch from a well aimed shot.

He growled. That's it! He was banning the use of machine guns all over Amestris! The sound alone is enough to drive one crazy.

_Ratatatatatatatat…_BOOM!

He ducked quickly as shreds of shrapnel whizzed past his ears. A petrified scream found his ears but he could do little to help as more bullets rained down on him…

_Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat…_

"Hawkeye, I'm pinned, I need back up now! Ah!" A bullet managed to clip his shoulder and he slid down to the floor in pain. Quickly tearing off part of his shirt he tied a quick bandage to stop the bleeding before trying to get a look of the warehouse again.

Three of his men were down, two more were returning fire, Victor was unconscious beside him and Alphonse had disappeared off his radar completely. Damn that boy! He's just as bad as his brother!

Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat…

"Team three are on their way, they're down one though Sir!" He just barely heard her voice before shouts and screams echoed loudly from the other end followed by short rapid bursts of the semi-automatics his men were equipped with. Several seconds later silence followed then a voice came through the radio.

"Team three reporting for relief Sir, all targets down, you can come out now." Roy breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out from his cover.

"I need a medic over here, I've got three down, one out and two injured." Team three met him half way. Instantly their medic went to work while Roy rearranged their assignments. "I need a team of five with me. Good shots, fast legwork, who can you give me?" The captain of team three gave a sharp nod.

"Brett, Charlie and Don are the best I have along with your two they should be enough." He replied briskly. Roy nodded before issuing further orders.

"Right, I need this exit kept clear and I need a shelter set up for any injured who make it back here. Keep your medic on standby, he's all we have until team five and four get back here. I'm going on ahead." Roy gave the man a stern look that warned him not to fail or they'd all fail.

"Hai Sir!" the captain responded and moved off as Roy moved toward a side opening.

"Oh and captain!" he called, walking backwards as he spoke. The captain turned as he listened. "There's a 16yr old boy gone MIA. Keep an eye out for him."

"Aye sir!"

* * *

"Major, I need an opening and I need it now!" Riza yelled whilst firing off four rounds from her precious battle ready semi-automatic. They were being forced back heavily but Riza was not about to retreat just yet; she had one more ace up her sleeve and he was big, strong and slightly bald with a rather emotional personality despite his appearance. Major Alex Louis Armstrong stood a towering 8ft above her with a set expression. Now was not a time to be emotional, now he was deadly serious.

With a quick flick of his wrists he pounded his fists into the ground sending powerful shockwaves through the floor and destroying the foundations on the other side where the enemy was firing. A few squeals of surprise and pain later and the firing stopped. Riza breathed a sigh… She hoped the relief team had managed to help the Colonel. She shivered. It'd been a long time since she'd heard that much strain in the Colonel's voice and if she never heard it again it'd be too soon.

"You have your opening Lieutenant." Riza nodded her thanks to the big guy and quickly gave orders to move on. She may be lower ranking than those in her team but Roy had named her Team Leader. So it was up to her to lead the team to victory without loss of life.

The door she'd been watching was now clear. Instantly she took off giving signals to her team to follow and head for the intended doorway. Carefully and cautiously they entered the room behind it. Riza's eyes narrowed; inside were two loose ends.

The red head turned and frowned, recognising Riza almost instantly. Lavender stood and placed herself between the blonde and her Mistress as though protecting her from the intruders.

"My, my… Lavender you're getting lax. You didn't hit her hard enough." Red eyes playfully narrowed at the scowl Riza sent her. Said blonde raised her semi-automatic up to the red head's eye level and cocked the pin. Red eyes widened slightly but she remained calm.

"Gomen Kaa-San." The purple eyed girl replied.

Riza quickly signalled to the Strong Arm Alchemist a series of commands before speaking. Major Armstrong straightened discreetly, looking as though he were just shifting weight from one foot to another.

"You are under arrest. Please come quietly, I'd rather not take a dead body back with me for questioning." Red eyes narrowed suspiciously almost daring the blonde to try it. She had no doubt that the woman was bluffing because nobody shoots at her!

"You wouldn't."

_BANG!_

A single bullet whizzed past, mere millimetres from the red head's ear, and lodged itself deep into the dark red wall behind her. Red eyes widened in shock and fear.

"Wouldn't I?" Riza replied with a smug smirk.


	11. Ch10 Of Fights and Bitter Ends

**Behind Closed Doors**

**Summary:** Children have been disappearing all over Central City for the past few months. When Roy is put on the case, his worst nightmare becomes a reality he'd rather not live... especially when Edward disappears. (Parental Relationship)

**Warnings:** Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… and slight possibility of Male x Male implications…

**Authors Note:** Last Chapter of 'Part 1'... Yes people, that was the plan I mentioned in the previous chapter; I'm splitting this story into 'Parts' because it's just too damned big for my organisational skills (which, btw, are very lax to begin with:S) but fear not, there is a 'Part 2' on its way! Lol…

Just a word of warning, I'm gonna take a break from this fic for a bit to update some of my other outstanding fics but don't worry, I'll never abandon a story; besides which, I've had too much fun writing it! I have no estimated time of update so you'll just have to be patient with me… sorry!!

For compensation, this chapter is twice as long as the previous ones… 11 pages instead of the average 4/5. Aren't you guys lucky?! I know my fingers aren't… _cools burning fingers in a bowl of ice cold water…_

Well enjoy the end of 'Part 1' and I'll see you lot in 'Part 2'…at some point… .'

No need to keep an eye out for a different story or sequel either, I'll still post it under this title.

Any questions or queries, you know where to click…

Lots of love

Zer0

x

* * *

**Ch10; Of Fights and Bitter Ends…**

Ratatatatatatatatat…

Alphonse ducked his head down as he ran blindly down a bland looking corridor. He cursed the moment he left Roy's side as he dodged round another corner, putting on another burst of speed, hoping to lose his new shadows before they turned and began firing again.

Ratatatatatatatat…

"Yahhhhhh!" Gods how he hated guns! They were loud, explosive and violent things that should never have been invented! Desperately, he turned down another corridor and glanced wildly around looking for an exit.

That was when inspiration hit.

"_If you can't find an exit… make one." _Those were his brother's words from when they'd travelled to Lior for the first time and fought against the so called priest in the basement of the Cathedral. There'd been no exit there either, so Edward had made one using Alchemy.

Alphonse's eyes narrowed in determination.

'_Here goes everything…_'

A flash of blue light and a hiss of alchemical static later, and the hallway was completely clear. The following guards couldn't believe it; the boy had disappeared into thin air. Oh the price he'd have paid to see their faces!

He hadn't disappeared of course. He managed to transmute the wall into a hole and jump through it before transmuting it back to its original form. He turned, panting heavily, and studied his surroundings. He was in a large warehouse again but instead of wooden crates and boxes, this one was full of metal cabin units; some piled on top of one another while others were just on their own or sat in groups.

He stood and held the wall for balance until his head stopped throbbing from the chase. The moment passed and he began to wander around the units, peering inside some of the ones that were open. Some held boxes or mechanical objects, others housed treasures and fineries. One even housed a young beautifully rare thoroughbred foal of some species or another, he couldn't remember which, and it had surprised him because he hadn't expected to see a live animal looking back at him when he peered inside. He set it free; the poor thing couldn't escape while locked inside the unit if the buildings decided to collapse… atleast this way it had a chance of finding an exit before the buildings caved in.

The clip clop of its hooves echoed loudly in the warehouse as it galloped off in a random direction. Alphonse trundled on, struggling to find an exit or even a brick wall to transmute through.

But then a shuffling sound caught his attention. Was there another animal trapped or had someone followed him in here? A shout suddenly called out and another one responded. Alphonse froze, certain he'd been caught until he realised he couldn't see anyone; which meant they hadn't seen him either; which also meant he had the element of surprise.

He listened carefully, trying to discern where they were coming from.

"Damnit, the bloody horse has escaped…"

"Forget the horse, this shipment's more important."

"Tch, all I'm saying is I'm not cleaning its mess up…"

"We won't be here you twit, so stop worrying and get his legs, the kid's heavy."

Alphonse's eyes widened at the words '_the kid's heavy…_' could they mean Edward? His heart skipped at the thought of finally reuniting with his brother. It hadn't really been that long since he found out but to him it'd felt like years had passed. Far too long for his comfort.

A strong urge to see his brother's familiar face gripped him tightly and he ran silently in the direction of the voices. Seconds felt like minutes while millimetres felt miles as he ran, trying to find his brother.

"Careful! If the goods get damaged we get it in the neck… remember the policy?"

"Ok, ok I'm sorry but he's just too heavy. Who'd have thought a kid this small would weigh so much?"

Alphonse almost cried; it had to be Edward! No one else could be small and weigh as much as he did! His legs powered him on until he was sure he was only one more row away from his brother. He stopped, not wanting to lose his surprise element just yet.

Carefully, he peered through a gap between one unit and another and searched desperately for a sign of Edward. A large tanned arm blocked most of his view but it quickly moved as the guy stumbled slightly under the accused weight. That was when he saw it; a flash of gold slid past the gap as the guy who'd stumbled dropped Edward to the floor and none-to-gently either. Edward didn't even flinch.

Alphonse worried his lip at that. What had they done to him? Why was his brother so out of it? No one sleeps so deeply like that.

"It's no good I can't lift him, go find a trolley!" The man said. From what Alphonse could tell, he was a short but sturdy man. He definitely didn't want to find himself fighting him… he was still hypersensitive to his senses, anything more than a light brush would either send him into La La land or the fiery pits of hell.

"I hear that muscle weighs more than fat does…" The second man replied, completely throwing his partner for the loop. Alphonse ignored the comment, his eyes were locked on the small view that he had of his brother's face. It was so eerily still.

"So? What's that got to do with the price of cheese?" The first man asked as he knelt down and rolled Edward onto his back, making sure his hands were still tied securely and that there were no extra damages from the fall. Alphonse was brought back to reality as Edward's head rolled with his body and ended facing upwards. His blood boiled at the sight of Edward tied up and unconscious in the hands of the enemy. This very scene was what he'd been most afraid of…

"Cheese? Since when were we talking about cheese?" The second man's voice trailed off as he walked into one of the metal units. Alphonse curled his fists, fighting to keep control of a body he was still getting used to. They say it's the soul that gives a person his emotions but the body reacts in its own way too; a release of adrenalin, a burst of testosterone and a small rise in body temperature all accounted for the rage and frustration he was feeling right now.

"Gah, it's a figure of speech…" The first man replied waving dismissively at the unit the other guy had disappeared inside.

"Oh, well anyway, if muscle weighs more than fat it could explain why he's so damned heavy!" The second guy explained as he returned with a rollable trolley fitted with a bed of straw. The first man paused in thought and actually took the time to look at the boy he was trying to transport.

"Oh? Hm he does look a little muscular. And his arms are rock solid. You could be right Jay." He leaned over and tested the sleeping boy's arms to be sure, squeezing his biceps a little. Alphonse had to bite his tongue to keep from beating the guy to a pulp. No body touches his brother like that! It was like grading a cow for slaughter!

"Hn, see? Who said useless info was useless?" The second man said smugly before reaching down the help heave the boy onto the trolley.

"Whatever, just keep your ego in check or you won't fit in the train." They began to roll the trolley away from the unit.

Alphonse frowned, his emotions forgotten. _Train?_ So the USTO had its own underground train station? What were his options now? He could follow them alone and possibly get himself caught or killed. Or he could go find Roy and get help, but that would mean leaving Edward and dodging bullets too.

Hm… maybe if he left a note or a clue here, then Roy would find it and come to the rescue. His hopes were almost crushed as the idea of an enemy finding it also made itself known. But then again, the enemy were a little preoccupied with a small invasion of State Military soldiers. But would that mean Roy'd be too busy to find it? No, Roy was looking for Edward; he'd spot anything suspicious like a note. Plus if he left it in a glove of his, then there'd be no way Roy could miss it.

Quickly, with scrawled handwriting, he wrote a message about finding Edward, following the enemy and heading for a train station. Then something quick about leaving clues before stuffing the paper into his glove and hanging it discreetly on one of the unit frames before quietly following the two men who were carrying his brother to his doom.

* * *

She didn't see it coming nor did she spot it until it was too late. She couldn't move out of the way quick enough to avoid the devastating blow… but someone else had. A loud crack resounded through the floor as a large slab of concrete rose up and blocked the barely visible alchemical energy shot that had been rushing rapidly toward Riza's head. Dust and debris shattered the pristine room sending all within into a coughing frenzy. Both enemies effectively blind to one another.

Now was her chance! With the blond now unable to shoot, the red haired witch was quick to dash for an exit, but somebody had beaten her to it.

"Going somewhere Miss?" Alex Armstrong stood in front of her looking very formidable. Red eyes widened in fear as a small squeak escaped her painted lips. In an instant she was detained and held fast in a gentle iron grip.

"Kaa-San?" An uncertain voice called out from the dust and debris that was still falling. Alex gave the woman a squeeze on her shoulder, warning her that if she wished to stay alive, she'd better co operate in a civil manner.

"Lavender, stand down. We've been beaten." The red head resigned before lowering her head finally accepting defeat.

"Hai, Kaa-san." Lavender lowered her hands and stood placidly in the middle of the room. Riza narrowed her eyes in thought and suspicion. Lavender looked like a normal ordinary eight year old, but it was obvious something was not quite right; she was too calm, too obedient and level headed for an eight year old. A horrid thought struck her but she kept it to herself, unsure if it was the truth or not. She'd have to wait and see.

The dust cleared away a few minutes later revealing a very dusty Riza facing the newly detained red head with a no-nonsense scowl set firmly in place.

"The boy you had with you in the truck." She said watching the red's reaction. The woman nodded, showing she knew who the Lieutenant was talking about. "Where is he?" The red hesitated before replying.

"I'll take you to him…" Riza nodded, approving the young woman's decision to surrender. On the outside it seemed she had accepted defeat but Riza knew better; the woman was only trying to stay alive until her 'friend' could rescue her. Either way they were now her prisoners and she was going to milk them for all the information she could.

"Fine, lead the way…"

* * *

Alphonse cursed for the third time in the space of half an hour, a trait more common to his older brother rather than the calmer nature of himself. But he couldn't help it; it was the third time in that same space of half an hour that he'd had to hide and risk losing sight of his brother in favour of staying alive long enough to find said brother again. It was annoying and frustrating but he wasn't going to complain just yet. Luck had been kind so far… it's just a shame that fate had to step in.

The corridor was finally clear and he could see the double doors that the two goons had wheeled his brother through. Now was the perfect time to make a run for it. He readied his legs and braced his arm on the wall in order to help push him off quicker. He gave himself a mental countdown but he barely got past the number "two" before a large hand struck his shoulder from behind.

He yelped in surprise and shock then whimpered in pain as the large hand squeezed tightly. His senses went into overdrive as he fell to his knees, the sudden jarring of his body adding to the sudden onslaught of sensory feedback.

"Well, now what do we have here?" The deep voice brought him back somewhat from the brink of complete collapse. Had he been caught? Was this it? Was this how it ended?

"You know, I managed to lose me a few kids back in that cave, so I was thinking maybe another one would do me a little compensation…" The grip on his shoulder tightened painfully and Alphonse cried out before collapsing to the floor in pain. "But then looking at you I don't think you'd survive for very long…" The pain subsided, the man released his hold but Alphonse remained on the floor, still reeling from the overload of pain. The man was obviously connected to his brother's kidnapping and he was getting away… he had to do something! Anything!

"What do you want with my brother?!" That stopped him. A triumphant smile barely managed to escape before disappearing completely at sly smile forming on the man's face. What had he just thrown himself into?

"Brother eh?" The man back peddled and was knelt in front of the boy in seconds, peering greedily into the young father's eyes. "Hmmm, perhaps I can start a 'Fullmetal' collection… **(A/N: Who wouldn't?!)** I bet you have a pretty wife at home don't ya?" Alphonse scowled. It was quite common for kids as young as he to be married and supporting a family at his age but somehow his assumption just seemed too personal. "And maybe a little tot too. I bet he'd go for a small fortune…" Alphonse snarled defensively.

"Don't you touch my son you filthy, perverted paedophile!" The man's smile grew. Reverse psychology was a strong fort of his after all so getting an over excited kid to confirm his suspicions without asking the obvious questions was a cinch. **(A/N: Yes people, "Cinch" is a word… look it up!)**

"Whoa easy tiger, I won't touch your kid, I won't even look for him… if you play nice." One look at those hard beady eyes and Alphonse knew he was in way over his head. He had no choice but to surrender for now. Hopefully Roy was following his clues and would be able to save both him and his brother before time ran out. He sighed and lowered his head, signalling his defeat.

The man grinned before hoisting the kid off the floor by his right arm and steering him through the double doors he'd been headed for to begin with. For several seconds they were quiet, both in their own thoughts about riches and brothers. Until Alphonse broke that silence.

"You didn't answer my question…" He stated bravely. If he was going down he wasn't going to go without knowing what he was in for. The guy, he guessed was Derry, looked at him as a humoured grin found his grizzled chin. For some reason the man was strangely calm and collected. He seemed confident in his ability to pull this stunt off… almost like he knew something they didn't. It unnerved the young father.

"Hmm? What question?" They turned down a different corridor but there was no sign of Edward anywhere ahead. He was toying with him, seeing how far he'd go before breaking down again like earlier. But Alphonse had a surprise for him; unlike his brother, he could tame his anger and focus it on something productive. Sure he had his moments… events of a few seconds ago notwithstanding, but on the whole he was a calm and controlled person. He wasn't about to be baited.

"About my brother, what do you want him for?" He replied evenly. To be quite frank, it puzzled him. Why would a mass kidnapper want his brother? He couldn't remember any cases of kidnappers apart from 'Barry-the-chopper' but he was a serial _killer_ not _kidnapper _and that was ages ago, besides the guy was dead. So what did this guy want with Edward?

"Heh, getting him was just a lucky break. I'm a slave dealer; I take whatever body count I can… your brother was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like you…" Alphonse frowned as they entered a strange room only to pass through and end up in another corridor. So that was the deal here; Edward was just another body to work in some slave house until his identity had been discovered, which in turn endangered him even more. Well atleast it was a new enemy and not an old one… they tend to be the most underestimating kind and they don't have a previous grudge either…

"So you kidnap kids and force them to work for you?" He asked fishing for more information about this unknown assailant. Reverse psychology could be played both ways.

"Oh no, I don't force them, they do it willingly." That threw him. Willingly? He had to be lying, that was it.

"Willingly?" He asked disbelievingly. They turned another corner but Alphonse was quickly steered into another hall, this time with steps. He was pushed in front but the grip on his arm never faltered.

"Yes, just like your brother will…" He couldn't see the man's face but he could hear the grin in his voice. He suppressed the shiver that threatened to run down his spine.

"He'll never do your dirty work for you, willing or unwilling." He replied hesitantly. But he realised too late that if his life was threatened, Edward wouldn't even think twice about obeying someone else's commands.

"Oh he will, because he won't know how to say no." Alphonse was once again thrown off guard by that comment. The stairs ended abruptly and Alphonse was jerked through another door into yet another hallway.

"I don't follow." He stated just as they stopped outside a set of double doors. Derry just grinned.

"It's a little trick I learned from a land far, far away… it's a handy little technique called brainwashing…"

"Brainwashing…?" Alphonse was still puzzled but his confusion was cut short as they entered the room they'd been stood outside.

* * *

The red clad woman lead them through several meandering corridors where at some points they had to fight their way through hired guard men and/or random customers who knew how to fight. It was slow progress but somewhere along the lines they'd finally made it… though Riza didn't see how the woman had come to that conclusion; they were in another warehouse for Pete's sake.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked narrowing her eyes at the young woman. Her patience was wearing thin. The woman shook her head fiercely.

"No, he's kept in one of these cabin things. I should know, I visited almost every hour until Derry-kuns forbade it." She pouted slightly at that thought but Riza ignored it. Instead she turned her gaze back to the warehouse. There were thousands of the damned things, too many to go looking though each one by themselves. She growled; if this woman was just yanking her chain then so help her god…

"Which one?" She asked through gritted teeth. The red head sighed, knowing this was probably the last time she'd see her beautiful Eric-kun today. But she had faith that the game was not over yet. Derry would see to that.

"I'll take you there." She offered knowing she wasn't very good with giving directions. She'd found that not many people understood what she had to say. It was annoying but then Derry had never let her down, he'd come to her rescue all the time… just like she knew he would for her now.

"Fine…"

They wove through endless rows of cabins in a never ending pattern. Several times Riza caught herself peering inside the cabins, glimpsing the several priceless treasures or ultra technical gadgets inside. She wondered how they managed to get hold of the stuff let alone hide them here in this underground building. Forensics were gonna have a field day here… Up ahead, the red head stopped in puzzlement at one empty cabin.

"Odd. There was a purebred Shire foal in there…" Riza gave the cabin a once over before deciding she didn't care. She had more pressing things to worry about.

"It's probably escaped somehow; your concern is not here." The red head sighed dramatically acting more like a scolded teen rather than the young woman she really was. This concerned Riza further but she kept quiet again.

"Fine, it's this way…"

They soon stopped outside another empty container, several shades of shock on many faces. Riza's eyes widened at the sight of blood on the straw… her eyes narrowed dangerously. Some one was going to pay…

The red eyed woman stared in disbelief. The boy was gone… Eric-kun was gone… and so was Derry. Then something clicked into place in her mind. It was like a veil had been pulled back by a familiar despairing emotion. Images began to plague her mind, old memories merged with new ones, old emotions confused her current ones and she felt herself going numb. She slowly slid to the floor in despair. Riza spotting the movement in her peripheral view quickly knelt down to the woman's new height.

"Miss, are you ok?" The red head barely moved. Her despair was evident. "Miss?" Slowly, the red head brought her hands up to her eyes. Faint marks marred her wrists and she stared at them in denial. A tear fell from her crimson eyes slowly followed by several more.

"Miss?" Riza tried again, knowing she was pressed for time but the young woman spoke up finally.

"Kara." Riza blinked, somewhat stumped by the simple word the woman had said before said young woman spoke up again. "My name is Kara… I remember… he did this to me… no. No! I don't want to remember! No! NOOOooooooooo..." The young woman broke down in a fit of sobs before completely falling upon the floor, crying for something the onlookers could only imagine. The sudden behaviour change seemed to confirm Riza's first assumptions; these two girls weren't quite all there anymore. What could have done this to them? How could this have happened? Was this what they had planned for Edward?

"Lieutenant, I've found something." Riza looked up and found herself face to face with Breda, a grim look on his face. At her frown, he held up a small familiar looking glove by the index finger. She reached for it but he shook it gently, a teared piece of parchment fell from inside to the floor. She reached out with confusion, picking up the parchment she found it to be the expensive kind, much like the parchment they used in the military. She unfolded it and found a scribbled note…

_Colonel, it's Al. _

_I found brother. It's a code 5a situation (__**see end of chapter**__), I'm gonna need help getting him back. I'm following them now, but I'll leave you a trail to follow. _

_Head North-west and take the second exit from here, I'll leave markers for you to follow but if you lose your way look for a train station somewhere, they're heading that way. _

_A. Elric_

"Al..." Riza's eyes narrowed at the new revelation. "Major, escort these two back to our safe spot. Feury you go with them take Bennie and Dirk too. Falman, Breda, Kenshin and Jesse you're with me. Move out!" Her orders were met with slick movements as the team separated themselves and jumped into action. She took off in the direction instructed in the note. While running she took out her radio and tuned in to Roy's channel. He was not going to like this.

"Team 2 to team 1 what is your position?" She asked, formulating a plan in her mind as she exited through the second set of doors that Alphonse had mentioned. A large arrow carved into the wall, obviously made using alchemy, pointed the direction they needed to go. She gave a sharp nod and the team took off following the directions Alphonse had laid out for them.

"North wing heading west bound. What's your status?" Roy's slightly static ridden voice crackled in her ear.

"East wing heading North-west, Two suspects are detained, east wing is clear… we uh, got a lead on the target… Alphonse is following." She replied following another sketchily drawn arrow on the wall pointing through a set of double doors.

"Al's following! Damn that boy!" Roy's curse was all-to-expected. Riza brushed it off before replying in a tone that suggested perhaps he was overreacting.

"Sorry sir, it couldn't be helped…" Another arrow, another corridor, another bland sight with no sign of Edward or Alphonse except for another arrow pointing in another direction.

"I know, good job Riza, keep going... " Roy's voice sounded apologetic and sincere. She knew he was just worried about the two brothers. With Edward gone it was a shock and painful ache, but with Alphonse in the firing line of the enemy (figuratively speaking of course) the Colonel's blood pressure must be dangerously high.

"Don't worry sir, we'll find them... and when we do, there's gonna be a lecture or two about all this too." She could hear the smile in his voice as he replied.

"Damn right lieutenant… damn right."

* * *

Adrenalin seemed to be the only thing that was keeping his legs working. He was tired, in pain and sick with worry for the two boys. He didn't know how he was still on his feet but if he stopped now, he knew the brothers wouldn't live for very long. So he pressed on, pushing his body to its maximum limits then surpassing them in a miraculous show of will power. His shoulder gave a painful twinge in protest but he was past feeling it now.

He was in the east wing, heading to Riza's last know position. There was no need to worry about enemy fire seeing as his first lieutenant had managed to clear the area. He came to a T - junction in the warren of corridors and took a right before almost colliding with another body. He twisted in order to avoid a complete head on collision but he didn't twist enough, the other body slammed unceremoniously into his left shoulder and white hot pain shot a burning course through his entire left side.

"Yahh!" His cry caught the attention of the person he'd collided with. Through the sudden pain he could hear a familiar voice, only this time it wasn't echoed by static.

"Colonel! Are you alright?! Colonel?!" He blinked the pain from his sight and found Riza's beautiful face staring down at him with a worried expression set firmly in place.

"'m fine. We gotta move." He replied, taking her offered hand and pulling himself upright. The corridor spun wildly but he gave it no time to unbalance his feet as he quickly took control of the situation.

"What's the situation?" He asked boring his dark coal eyes into hers. The pain was subsiding which meant it wasn't as bad as he thought it was. Riza gave a nod.

"Al's directions ceased a while back. We have reason to believe he has been captured. But his note said to look for a train station, that's where they're taking Ed." She reported. Roy nodded before asking his next question.

"Any sign of them?" Riza nodded once knowing who the Colonel was referring to. After a few more turns Riza's group had caught sight of Derry and Alphonse and had quickly given chase but the man had lost them not long ago.

"Yeah we just lost them…but I think I know where he's going." She replied quickly, seeing the pattern of hallways in her head and comparing them to the old blueprints that Victor had in his study. She had a vague idea of where this new train station might be situated.

"Tell me while we move!" She gave a curt nod and quickly took off with Roy keeping pace beside her. She explained her assumptions on the way.

* * *

Alphonse saw the train and knew that if he didn't do something quickly, he'd disappear along with his brother. Not quite how the rescue mission was supposed to go… he looked around trying to find a distraction or something to help divert Derry's attention in order to buy some time for Riza to catch up again.

"What'll you do with us?" He asked suddenly, putting on a frightened expression. If he appeared scared or nervous then Derry would underestimate him… maybe.

"You'll see soon enough…" The man replied as he directed Alphonse toward the end carriage. "Now get insi-" he began but a refreshingly familiar shout interrupted him.

"FREEZE!" Before Alphonse could react, Derry had whipped his gun out and held the open shaft to his head.

"You wanna see your kid again then you better behave. No heroics or I will find him and your pretty little wife and I'll gut them in front of you." Alphonse paled visibly and all thoughts of escape flew from his mind. He'd have to rely on Roy to get him and his brother out of this one.

"Turn around now." Riza's voice shouted from somewhere behind. He swallowed thickly and allowed Derry to direct him in where to stand. As he turned he found the familiar gazes of Riza and Roy lock with his own frightened stare.

"One wrong move Colonel and you lose _both_ Elrics." The larger man sneered, cocking the pin on his gun. Roy glared back at the man, fingers poised and ready to flick at a seconds notice. It was a stalemate.

"Let the boys go and we'll let your 'daughter' and the kid go free." Roy made the first move; bargaining for the brother's freedom. Derry grinned coyly.

"A slick move Colonel, but I've made my sacrifice. I couldn't care less about the wench and the brat. You'll have to make me a better offer than that." Roy's frown deepened. He certainly hadn't expected that. "I'd hurry too Colonel, my train's about to leave the station." And as if on cue, a whistle blew loudly, echoing dramatically around the makeshift platform they were currently stood on.

"Fine. The military will buy them back. I know its money you want." Roy replied, playing for time until a better plan came to him. Derry barked out a laugh.

"Money?! Yes, I'll admit money is a big player in the deal's I make but my deals also involve protection and alliances with big people with big names. You can't offer me protection from the military so don't even bother trying to lie… face it Colonel, you failed. And do you know why you failed?" Derry paused, savouring his victory against the so called Great Flame-Alchemist. "…Because you're weak." Roy bristled at that comment and would have retaliated dangerously had his eyes not found Alphonse's pleading look.

Another whistle deafened the group on the platform reminding all that time was running out. Roy scowled at the kidnapper, a lethal look in his eyes; "When I find you, you won't live long enough to regret this."

Derry's eyes grinned. "Make no mistake Colonel; I'll do what it takes to escape." He aimed the gun at Alphonse's head again. Roy growled in frustration. "We'll discuss this deal another time perhaps…" He stepped onto the carriage dragging Alphonse with him, just as the train gave another loud, sharp whistle. "Do something to upset me and the brothers will pay the price…" Roy growled again but stayed put signalling his team to do the same.

"You harm one hair on their heads, and it'll be your last…"

The train began to pull away slowly, taking with it the two boys he'd vowed to watch over. Derry grinned…

"We'll see about that Colonel…" Derry laughed, issuing a challenge for the Colonel, "We'll see…"


	12. Prt2 Ch11 Of Parting Paths

**Behind Closed Doors - Part 2**

**Summary:** Children have suddenly started disappearing all over England. When Komui gets wind of a possible Innocence relation, he puts his three best exorcists on the case… but his worst nightmares come to light when Allen disappears and all evidence points to Lenalee being next.

**Warnings**: Torture, pain, possibly gruesome descriptions and lots of angst… oh and slight possibility of Male x Male implications (only in torturous scenes though)

**Authors Note:** Yes this is Part 2. Let me explain; this is a combined story… **Part 1 is a Full-Metal Alchemist story** and **part 2 is a DGM story**… There will finally be a part 3 and possibly a part 4 which will have both the FMA and D.G-M worlds meeting.

If you're really confused, PM me and I'll try to explain it better to you personally.

* * *

**Ch1; Of Parting Paths… **

The battlefield was cold and bloody. The ruins of the village it once was, sticking out of the ground like disfigured pins in a pincushion. Mountainous mounds of rubble were scattered around in random places while tattered tapestries billowed gently in the sighing winds.

The dark sky above rumbled ominously, however, the rain remained elusive for now though it promised a shower soon. Flashes on the horizon predicted what was to come.

A sinister mood hung in the rancid air, the tension; taut.

Both parties had come to a standoff; six brave and noble exorcists standing awkwardly but ready to fight and two of the hateful Noah smirking gleefully at the destruction and carnage they'd managed to create. Both sides had equal strength… yet neither moved.

Kanda frowned; this was down to battle skill now and he had a feeling they were just as equally matched in that as well. He quickly took stock of where his fellow team-mates were stood, mentally calculating their attack range and power from their positions while thinking up a strategy that could help them all get out of this battle alive. Lenalee was stood not too far from Lavi a few hundred meters to his right while Marie (Noise) and Miranda were in the sheltered area behind them. Allen was on the frontline, about two hundred meters in front, with crowned clown glowing brightly in the dark gloom around him. '_Tch, trust the baka moyashi to be up front…_'

Thunder growled softly above them; like a father reprimanding a pair of argumentative sons. It began to rain.

And Rhode's smile widened…

Just as a streak of lightening lit up the battlefield, she made her move. Kanda saw it too late.

"Moyashi! Move!"

Before he could react, a cartoon-like door shot up behind the youngest exorcist and he barely had time to dodge forward and out of the way before it swallowed him up completely. But the attack had only just begun. Kanda was forced backwards by another door, red this time, opening up in front of him while Lenalee and Lavi were split apart by a blue door opening between them.

They were being played. Forcing Kanda backwards, splitting up Lenalee and Lavi and pushing Allen further away from help. Looks like the Noah were winning on the strategy battle, now it was up to quick thinking and brute force to win this fight.

But before he could finish that thought, he was forced backwards once more as a horde of Akuma streamed through the now open door in front of him. '_Kisama! Could this get any worse?_'

Apparently it could; Kanda jus happened to glance in the right direction and managed to spot an akuma creeping up a hill; towards an unsuspecting, defenceless Miranda who was currently holding a long and tiresome Time Record. '_Shimata!_' He had too many wounds to fight equally without her power. And he was sure the Moyashi was worse than him.

He'd have to go back. He was the fastest and closest and there was no way he could allow this battle to end because of a stupid single Akuma getting lucky. '_Damn weaklings!_' He cursed as he took off, leaving Lavi, Lenalee and Allen to fight on the frontline...

'_Those baka's better stay alive 'till I get back!_'

It was an ugly looking thing; spikes sticking out at every angle with a strange demonic clown face in the weirdest place. It was gone before it even managed to scream…

Miranda didn't even flinch. She was too absorbed in keeping Time Record alive, and her friends along with it. Kanda spared her a glance before turning back to the battle but before he could see anything significant; the world exploded in front of him.

Instinctively he dug Mugen deep into the ground and wrapped his other arm around the trembling Miranda to stop them both from being blown away. The blast hit them hard but it was bearable… He squinted through the rushing smoke and debris to look up at the other's predicaments… but where Lavi, Lenalee and Allen should have been, was a white hot light that was spreading faster and faster…

…and coming straight at them.

* * *

He was falling. He could feel the wind rushing up from beneath him and yet he was too dazed to really panic. In fact, it was slowly lulling him to sleep…

But he couldn't sleep. No. For some reason he remembered he wasn't allowed to sleep. This was important… though he was having trouble remembering what was so important about it…

He knew he wasn't thinking straight because everything felt like a deep dream… perhaps he was dreaming? But then his body wouldn't be hurting so much…

Why was he hurting again? He couldn't remember that either…

"Allen!" Wha… someone was calling him…it sounded like Lenalee but it was so far away and so muffled by the loud rushing noise in his ears. He cracked an eye open but could only see a blinding light. He shut them tightly, his mind reeling and his body falling deeper into the sleepy stupour he'd found himself in. Was it morning already? Felt like he'd only just lied down to bed a few minutes ago…

"Allen! Look out!" Lavi? What was he doing in his room? And why did he sound just as muffled as Lenalee? He tried to feel his way to the edge of the bed but for some reason his fingers only felt cold rushing air slipping through them.

Oh yeah, he was falling…

"Baka Moyashi! Wake up!" Kanda? It had to be important if Kanda was yelling at him… "Use your innocence before-"

'_Before what?_' he wondered but a sudden silence engulfed him before he could finish the thought. He suddenly felt very cold and something was touching his hand. His eyes flew open and he found himself looking through a large doorway up at his friend's falling slowly in the bright white sky above. Lenalee holding onto two very heavy men with nought but her boots to keep them from falling too hard.

And the doors were closing…

He tried to move forward but that cold strange thing touching his hand suddenly became hard to wriggle out of… and then another one latched on to his left foot. Before he knew it, more cold snake like tendrils had hold of his clothes, his appendages, his belongings and still he couldn't see what they were… until one loomed over his head.

He stilled.

It was like a long smoky hand that flicked and swayed like a snake on the hunt. He could see it but could see through it as well, but what he saw wasn't the faint image of what was behind the hand; it was like he was looking through the hand in to another place… like looking through a crystal ball into another life or another world altogether.

But before he could ponder anymore, the hand shot forward covering his face with a grip he couldn't imagine a smoky hand ever possessing. It hurt. And he screamed. The things were invading his body; strong smoky hands scrabbling at his back, his stomach, his neck, his hands, his face… it felt like they were trying to push through his skin, to worm and scratch their way inside him…

But then, without warning, his innocence activated. The relief was like nothing he'd felt before; the warm white cape of Crown Clown enveloping him softly in a small cocoon, keeping the pesky hands at bay while he fell again. But this time it was a slow descent, as though he was passing through water instead of air.

He didn't understand it but as long as the hands couldn't get to him he didn't care…

* * *

Lenalee was struggling to hold the two men in the air. They were both heavy and even though both had said let go, she wasn't about to drop her family.

"Lenalee, there's a floor beneath us. You can let go now…" A floor? Well, in that case…

She let them drop; letting go without a moments notice before falling gracefully herself. She looked around and found Lavi jumping down from his activated hammer with a slight look of fear on his face as though he'd been afraid he couldn't catch himself in time and a straight faced Kanda who'd landed gracefully anyway looking at the closed doorway that had swallowed Allen.

She followed his gaze and wondered about her friend. Had Miranda fallen to the same fate? She couldn't remember seeing her pass as she struggled to stop Lavi and Kanda from falling. But she could remember seeing Allen fall past her, blood dribbling off his head where he'd hit it moments before the whole world exploded… he'd been falling to fast for her to catch. She couldn't get to him.

She had to watch as he hurtled down to certain death…

Only he didn't die.

Instead they'd been falling into a strange place that vaguely reminded her of the Ark. Where were they? And how did they get here?

"Where are we? And how the hell did we get here?" Her thoughts exactly… but not a voice she immediately recognised until Lavi and Kanda took up defensive stances beside her.

Tykki.

"I have no idea but please let me go, I don't want to die!" And that was Miranda! Lenalee spun around and saw Tykki holding a panicky Miranda in a bridal fashion and a slightly charred looking Rhode walking beside him. Tykki looked a little uncertain but put Miranda down anyway who immediately skittered over to hide behind Lavi.

That was when Tykki and Rhode noticed them too.

"Oh? Looks like they all survived…" He stated casually but quickly noticed the absence of a certain white haired boy. "Except one?" He queried but Rhode jumped in before anyone could reply.

"Where's my Allen-kun?" She asked bouncing over and hovering in front of Kanda's face, pouting.

"He fell into that doorway." Lavi replied, gripping his hammer in hands, "But you already knew that didn't you Rhode?" He growled, swinging his hammer slightly in threatening manner.

"Open your door and let him out now." Kanda hissed between his teeth at a suddenly pale looking Rhode.

"Ehehehe… why such a scary face?" Rhode asked, actually looking like a hesitant young girl for a moment. But Kanda had a cold heart to Noah's anyway and didn't even see it.

"Open your bloody door!" He roared, unsheathing Mugen and swinging it round in a complicated looking arc before stopping it mere millimetres from Rhode's neck. She jumped and squeaked before standing rigid with a scared look on her face.

"I don't know if you've noticed but in this place our powers don't work. I can't use my doors here so I don't know what you're talking about." She managed to say; all the while her eyes never left the sword at her throat.

Kanda's eyes narrowed. "Liar."

"She's not lying. Don't you think she'd have used her doors to help us escape that blast?" Tykki defended. "As it is, we wouldn't be alive right now if your friend hadn't used her time innocence to slow us down while we were falling." He turned to Miranda who was still hiding behind Lavi, "Which I never thanked her for…" He took off his hat and bowed regally at the poor shaking woman, who stilled at his actions. "Thank you Miss Exorcist. I am in your debt."

"It's true." Rhode spoke, her throat wobbling the blade that was pressed against it. "She saved us from a nasty death."

"And how does that stop me from slicing you two in half?" Kanda Asked, his voice low and even. "The way I see it, this is the most opportune moment to kill you once and for all…" He pointed out, but to Lenalee and Lavi he seemed to be giving the two Noah's the opportunity to argue for their lives. "So what's stopping me from killing you right here, right now?"

And Rhode only had to say one word in their defence;

"Allen-kun…"

Kanda closed his eyes and was still for a long time. No one moved.

Then the blade slowly slid away from Rhode's neck and down to the floor. It was a big thing for Kanda to release his prey once cornered and both Lavi and Lenalee could see that it had taken a lot of effort for him to do that. But Rhode was right. The two Noah's were probably the only ones who had an inkling of how the door that had swallowed Allen worked and so they were the only ones who could help him.

"So can Rhode see the door now?" Tykki asked, breaking the tension and focussing the frayed nerves on a puzzle that needed solving. It was Lavi who responded,

"Sure…" He sighed, as he let his hammer de-size and put it away. Lenalee stepped back too but kept her eyes on the young girl who tentatively stepped around Kanda and moved to look at the door.

Rhode stopped in front of the door and frowned nervously. In all honesty, she had no idea what she was doing. Sure she was the best option but she only knew about her doors… not someone else's. But if her Allen-kun was hidden away behind them then she was just going to have break through some how.

She took a breath, and placed her hands on the door. Instantly images flooded her eyes and she had to close them to see the images clearly. The door – no, the Gate was feeding her stories of its memories, people who'd passed this same place before, places it had opened up to.

And people who had a power over it.

One particular man stepped out prominently in the Gate's memories. He was a large, beer-bellied man with small beady little eyes, the kind that stared at you as though you were a hunk of meat ready to be judged and weighed. He had the air of man who knew how to think too, one with lots of contacts and knew who to manipulate others into doing what he wanted.

He had potential to be a Noah but his ideals were probably his falling. The man seemed too headstrong in his way. But if he was the one who could somehow control this gate, then he was the one they'd have to find…

But how?

"This is a dimensional gate." She explained. "There's a man who found a way to control it so it's linked directly to where he is at the moment." She took her hands away from the door and turned around to face the expectant faces of the Exorcists and her Tykki.

"And what does that mean?" Lavi asked, his feeble human mind not comprehending but his bookman curiosity urging him to learn. Rhode sighed…

"It's like the Ark. One can control it to link a door to a certain location and step through. But this one is a wild one that has a consciousness… a being in its own right. But someone has been able to control it some how." She explained which made it a little clearer, she could tell.

"And what of Allen?" Lenalee asked, stepping forward with a hopeful frown upon her pretty features. Rhode felt a stir of jealousy but stamped it out quickly.

"He's probably passed through to the dimension the gate is locked to. We could follow but I'm not sure the presence inside the Gate is willing to let us pass through." She explained further, already trying to think of a way to appease the Gate to let them pass.

"So how do we get it to open?" Lavi asked, stepping up to the gate and putting his hand to the door. It was still and quiet for him, Rhode knew.

"I'm not sure… perhaps your innocence will awaken it somehow?" She suggested, hating the fact that she was having to rely on innocence to find her beloved Allen-kun… but then he was an innocence user and her feelings for the boy couldn't be explained either.

"Kanda stepped forward next and without warning, drove his sword into the seam of the door before prying it open with force. To her amazement, the doors clicked open quickly and just as quickly found the sword at her throat again. Anger boiled beneath her skin,

"Hey! You need me to-" She was cut short as the sword pressed against her skin.

"You've fulfilled your purpose…" The samurai's voice was low but she could hear every word. "Why should I spare your life now?" Thankfully, the red head came to her rescue. And not a moment too soon either.

"Yuu, we may need her help getting through and then getting back home." He pointed out. The blade fell from her throat for the second time and she felt ready to collapse after all these near misses with deaths scythe.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lenalee asked, as she stepped up to the door and pulled it open properly. Several gasps found her ears before she too gasped loudly at the sight before her.

It was a roiling mass of spirits that had been trapped since the dawn of time in this little passage way through time and space. Millions of souls all squashed together into one existence and at the heart; there was the presence that was undeniably the gates power source.

"What is that thing?" Lavi exclaimed, his hand itching closer to his hammer. Lenalee activated her boots too but said nothing.

"That is the being I was talking about." Rhode replied and stepped forward a little to touch the door again. She closed her eyes and mentally asked how Allen had managed to get through. The gate replied.

Innocence.

Rhode seethed. Once again, she was forced to work with innocence to reach her goals. This was turning out to be a bad day after all.

"How do we get past it?" Lenalee asked tentatively, her desire to go after Allen and her fear of facing an unknown power warring inside her. Rhode barely got the answer out through her gritted teeth,

"With innocence…" And before she could finish the sentence she was grabbed harshly by the upper arm and was marched forward. She looked round and found that Kanda had grabbed her and was forcing her into the doorway. "Wha! What are you doing?!" She cried out as she tried to free her arm.

"You are not leaving my sight." He simply said before plunging into to mass of shadows dragging Rhode with him. She squeaked and closed her eyes, expecting to be met with force, but she felt nothing. It was as though nothing was there.

She dared to open her eyes and felt her jaw hit the floor… Kanda had only to wield his sword with just a flick of his wrist and a path had opened up for them to pass though safely…

Apparently innocence was a big thing here. Which only soured her mood further.

"Well that was unexpected…" Lavi pointed out who was closely followed by a slightly unnerved Tykki while Miranda and Lenalee brought up the rear. The red head smiled brightly. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go get Moyashi-chan and head home!" He cheered as Kanda started dragging her forward. The party followed closely behind as they began their slow adventure into the unknown.

Little did they know how long it would take before they'd see their home again…


End file.
